Updating: Post Igor Notices [Buses Suspended]

We are receiving a fair amount of notices to do with damage/issues after Hurricane Igor, so in order to be efficient we will post them all below. Should you have a post-storm related news that you need relayed to the public, please do not hesitate to contact us.

10:45am: W&E said the West End trash will be collected today and East End tomorrow. Thursday and Friday will return to the regular schedule.

11:00am: W&E said the traffic lights at the junction of Collector’s Hill and South Road, Smith’s are out of order due to Igor, and a temporary STOP sign has been placed there till they get it fixed. They asked us all to be careful

11:15am: BELCO says that they are now 4,200 left without power, and explained that restoration will slow down saying “There are substantial blocks of customers that crews are working to restore today. However, we are not likely to see the big jumps in numbers today, as each restoration may affect only a small number of customers. As mentioned earlier, each job can be time-consuming and can involve a lot of work. Crews are focusing on branchlines, as these represent the largest numbers of customers. However, while in an area for a branchline, they are also tackling the small pockets and individual customers, before leaving an area. Each area will be restored before crews move on to a new location. We are aware that a number of customers have been without power since the very early hours of Hurricane Igor. Unfortunately, if power was lost early in the storm, that likely means that the affected portion of our system will require considerable work to repair. We are looking at these outages, but cannot confirm restoration times.”

11:31am: Of interest to the 4,200 customers without power, here is where BELCO will be working today: Main Road, Somerset, Spring Benny, Heydon Trust, Middle Road, Southampton, St Davids, St Georges Club, Dundonald Street at the City of Hamilton Depot, Spanish Point, North Shore Pembroke, St Marks Road

11:41am: Confirming that all primary/middle/high schools will open tomorrow.

12:30pm: There is an issue with the bus service, and service has been interrupted. Bus drivers and busses are returning to the Bus Terminal and ending service. Reports are that several buses have been damaged by overhanging trees and vegetation, that at least one bus had a near-miss from a falling pole, and that the roads are generally not yet in a condition to safely drive Bermuda’s big buses. Bus drivers have elected to return to the Terminal [photo] and stand-down until the roads are safer. A bus driver has explained the safety considerations and her experience on our Facebook page for those interested.

1:06pm: Marine and Ports Services has issued a revised ferry service schedule. Today:

• The Pink Route (Pag/War) is providing normal service as of 1pm.
• The Green Route (Rockaway, is providing service at the following times: 4:10pm, 5:30pm & 6:30pm only.
• The Blue Route (Cavello Bay & Watford), is providing service at the following times: 4:10pm, 5:30pm & 6:30pm only, and will resume full service to Dockyard as of Wednesday 22nd September 2010.
• The Orange Route (St. Geo) will resume full service as of Wednesday. 22nd September 2010.

1:10pm: Capital G Bank is closing early today. Bank will close at 4:30pm and the Call Centre will close at 5pm. Tomorrow they will resume normal operating hours resume; Bank [8:30am – 5pm] and Call Centre [8am to 8pm]. They apologize for any inconvenience.

1:18pm: Governor Sir Richard Gozney has issued a statement commending Bermuda on how well we came through Hurricane Igor saying “You showed the world how things should be done.” Sir Richard also praised Bermudians for using common sense and preparing well, saying we stayed indoors on Sunday night “with or without a bottle of something special”. Full statement follows below:

Following Hurricane Igor Bermuda Government Ministers have spoken publicly of their relief that damage was not worse and of their gratitude and respect for both the Islands’ authorities and Bermuda’s populace.

As Governor I should like to add my own warm gratitude to all members of the Police, the Regiment, the Parks Departments, Works & Engineering, BELCO and all these others who helped to guide the preparations for facing Hurricane Igor, and for beginning the clear-up so promptly on Monday.

Additional thanks go to HMS Manchester, the Royal Naval Destroyer which steamed up from the Caribbean so that its helicopter could take senior Police and Regiment officers and others for an overall aerial check of damage on Monday afternoon. HMS Manchester steamed to the Caribbean immediately afterwards to stand ready for any further hurricanes in the Carribbean.

I would also like to pay sincere tribute to the common sense of the vast majority of Bermudians. You prepared well and you kept your heads down indoors on Sunday night (with or without a bottle of something special). You showed the world how things should be done.

1:35pm: Official Government statement over the suspension of bus service [see 12:30 pm update]: “The Ministry of Tourism and Transport wishes to advise that as a result of industrial action all Bus Service has been suspended. Discussions are currently in progress. The Ministry apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.”

4:16pm: From the Post Office: “The Bermuda Post Office wishes to advise its customers that normal mail delivery has resumed and that the GPO and all sub post offices are open for business effective Tuesday, September 21, 2010. The Bermuda Post Office is aware that due to the high winds from Hurricane Igor, many residents and businesses may have either lost or received damage to their mailboxes. There may also be some areas that the postmen may not be able to access because of debris or hazardous conditions. Under these circumstances the Bermuda Post Office will make every effort to deliver mail to all residents and businesses during the post hurricane clean up and restoration period whether they have a mail box or not effective immediately until Friday October 15, 2010. After this date mail will not be delivered if there is no mail box available. We are hopeful that this will give everyone sufficient time to either fix or replace any damaged mailboxes and provide easy accessibility to our delivery personnel.”

4:46pm: Elbow Beach is closed to the public. Government said “Due to erosion at Elbow Beach the steps down to the beach via the Public Access have been washed away leaving a dangerous drop. The Public Access to Elbow Beach will therefore be closed until further notice.”

4:48pm: The Department of Marine and Ports wishes to advise East End commuters that in light of the withdrawal of bus services today, a ferry service has been organized from Hamilton to St. George’s, departing at 5:20pm on the JL Cecil Smith. Normal ferry service on all routes is expected to resume tomorrow.

5:31pm: Official statement from the Department of Education: “Please be aware that all schools in the Bermuda Public School System will be open tomorrow”

5:58pm: Warwick Academy would like to confirm that they now has full power and will be open tomorrow. The school only had partial power as of mid day, however Belco has just restored full power.

7:00pm: BELCO Update: “Work today has been slow and difficult with crews encountering a lot of damage, with numerous transformers, conductors and poles to be replaced, and vegetation hampering progress. In addition, there was instability on the system that resulted in numerous customers who had power restored going out again, which is typical after a hurricane. Their power has been reinstated. As a result, at 6:30 pm, approximately 4,000 customers are without power. Our goal is to reduce that number to 3,500 by the end of the night and we will report on progress toward that goal first thing in the morning. All crews will stand down at midnight. We plan to provide a list of work areas for tomorrow in tonight’s 9:00 pm report. Also, we have two crews out tackling the easiest jobs to get those customers restored. All schools area on and ready for tomorrow.”

7:25pm: Speaking with a bus driver, they inform us that they have been told to report to work tomorrow and they will be on standby, with an inspection of the roads expected to be made…meaning there appears to be no concrete answer as of yet whether buses will run tomorrow. We are awaiting official notifications from the Government.

9:08pm: We have contacted Government and are still awaiting official word on whether the buses will run tomorrow.

9:33pm: BELCO reports At 9:00 PM, approximately 3,900 customers are without power. All crews will stand down by midnight, and Customer Service Representatives will go home by 10 PM. With several jobs ongoing, a further reduction in this number is expected before work concludes for the day. BELCO says proposed work areas for tomorrow (note, these are areas that went out early on Sat., Sept. 19) Hinson Hall, South Road Tuckers Town, Sears Hill/St Marks, Tatem Hill, Seamont, Fruitland Lane, Whitney Avenue, Sayle Rd/Verdmont area. Other proposed work includes: North Shore Pembroke, St Georges, Pearmans Hill

11:00pm:e Buses tomorrow: We have approached various officials and were unable to get offical information as of 10:40pm tonight. Sources in the Union and Government say they will be on, while a bus driver tells us they will go to work and be on stand-by, driving if the roads are deemed safe. We realize that is not all too helpful…sorry….but thought due to the late hour we would at least address it…

#HurricaneIgor

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