BELCO Updates On Outages After Hurricane Erin
BELCO provided an update on power outages caused by Hurricane Erin, which passed northwest of the island on Thursday evening [Aug 21].
A spokesperson said, “Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited [BELCO] today provided an update on power outages as a result of Hurricane Erin. Hurricane Erin passed Bermuda to the northwest at approximately 7 pm on Thursday, August 21 bringing strong winds, rain and thunderstorms.
“Several outages occurred across the island, with larger pockets in the White Sands, Paget, Warwick Pond, Burnt House Hill and Happy Valley areas. At the zenith, there were just over 1,000 customers without power.
“Overgrowth of trees that is apparent throughout the island, mixed with the wet and windy weather caused vegetation, mostly wet and heavy palm fronds, to come into contact with power lines which caused outages. This was the cause of the majority of outages that were experienced across the island.
“BELCO Crews worked late into the night to restore power to customers with the last remaining customers still without power expected to be restored today.
“As a reminder, property owners are responsible for trimming their trees which are near power lines, ensuring they are cut back at least 10 feet from lines, and this can help prevent outages during storms and adverse weather. Property owners can call [295-5111] or email [treetrimming@belco.bm] three weeks in advance to schedule a power shutdown in order to trim safely.”
BELCO Managing Director, Shelly Leman said: “Bermuda was thankfully spared the worst of Hurricane Erin. However, gusty winds and heavy rains in Erin’s outer bands caused foliage to come into contact with our overhead network causing inconvenient outages for our customers. I urge property owners who have trees overhanging BELCO wires to please arrange for trees to be cut back at least 10 feet from the lines, and to contact BELCO to arrange for the power to be shut down so this can be done safely.
“Let me also thank BELCO staff who were prepared for the storm and our lineworkers who worked quickly and safely to restore power. I continue to urge residents to prepare for any future storms now and to also support each other however we can in preparation. I also encourage all residents and businesses in Bermuda to review their own hurricane safety plans as well as tips and advice on the BELCO website and social media channels to keep their family and property safe should we be impacted by any additional storms this season.”
A spokesperson added, “The public can get storm preparedness advice, safety tips and updates on any storm-related outages on BELCO’s website and social media pages, inclusive of Facebook, X [formerly Twitter] and Instagram.”
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Start fining people who are causing unnecessary outages with their overgrown trees!!
TNT Tatem’s trees are touching lines…