Following is information on electricity (BEC) on Cat Island and throughout the Bahamas via the Tribune:
Many homes still without electricity
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Most of the utility poles and power lines like this one in Cat Island were badly damaged or destroyed. (Photo: Felipe Major/Tribune)
By CELESTE NIXON
Tribune Staff Reporter
cnixon@tribunemedia.net
TEN per cent of New Providence was still without electricity this morning, according to BEC officials.
According to a statement released by the corporation early Saturday morning, restoration efforts in New Providence and the Family Islands is in full progress.
It said: "Teams worked overnight in an effort to restore supply to the 10% of customers who remain without service."
On Thursday afternoon, BEC crews were dispatched around the capital to began assessment and restoration of supplies to customers.
Spokeswoman Arnette Ingraham said there are pockets of areas and individual residences that are still without electricity.
Beginning Saturday morning, BEC crews will be working to restore electricity supply to a small number of customers in the following general areas:
Ridgeland Park, Chippingham, Rosebud Road, Quarry Mission Road, Bain Town, Nassau East, Fox Hill Rd, Seabreeze, Imperial Park, Tropical Gardens, Cordeaux Ave., West End Ave., Water Street, Lyon Road, Lake View Road, Carl Drive, McCullough Corner, Perpall Tract, Sunderland Road, Kennedy Subdivison, Flamingo Heights, Gamble Heights, Bilney Lane, Shirley Slope, South Beach, Soldier Road, Faith Gardens, Pride Estates, Adelaide, Village Estates, McKinney Drive, and Lyford Cay
While crews are trying to restore supply to these areas, Ms Ingraham said the corporation is requesting the public to be patient.
BEC explained "that as areas and communities become re-energized there are cases where residents in the same area or on the same streetmay not be restored at the same time. In some cases, customers may be supplied by
different high voltage lines or receive supply from different transformers. Moreover, there are a number of individual customer issues that require additional attention. BEC reminds customers of its restoration plan which is to restore major substations (which has been completed), followed by different communities, and finally to handle
individual power related concerns."
In the Family Islands, BEC said electricity has been fully restored to Inagua, Great Harbour Cay, Rum Cay, Long Cay, North, Central and South Andros, Bimini and the majority of customers in Crooked Island.
Corporation officials said there are several islands where there was significant damage to BEC's "transmission and distribution networks" which include Abaco, Acklins, Cat Island, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Long Island and Mayaguana.
A technical team from New Providence is already on the ground in Cat Island; badly hit by Hurricane Irene. BEC officials are also expected to fly in to some of those hard hit islands today. Supplies and crew are on standby ready to begin restoring service to these areas.
Cpt Steven Russell, director of NEMA, said BEC is partnering with BTC and the Caribbean Regional Electricity Generation to coordinate restoration efforts for islands still without telephone and power.
He said in order for electricity and telephone services to be restored to areas such as Cat Island, downed and damaged utility polls will have to be replaced.
Cpt Russell said utility polls will have to be barged to the various islands, shipping them is very dependent on the weather and sea conditions which won't be possible until ocean conditions are calmer.
BEC encourages customers to call the Corporation's Customer Service Call Centre to report any problems or outages.
The contact numbers are: 302-1000, 302-1257, 302-1675, 322-4930 or 302-1001. For those without phone service, representatives are also available at BEC's Administration Office on Blue Hill and Tucker Roads until 4.30pm.
This is Yvonne Cartwright in Freeport, does anyone update on Rosie & Sean Mckinney, Bernadette Lightbourne, Dwaine Adderley & family (New Bight) and the Harris family in Knowles? We aren't to reach them by phone, so an update will be very reassuring. Thank you
ReplyDeleteTo all the residents of Cat Island, we must thank God that no life was lost!