September 11th , 2003

CARILEC Hurricane Restoration Crews Arrive in Bermuda
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On the evening of Wednesday, September 10th 2003, a forty-one (41) member Hurricane Restoration Crew landed at the Bermuda International Airport to provide assistance to the Bermuda Electric Light Company Ltd. (BELCO). The crew, made up of Linesmen and Engineers are from six (6) CARILEC member states namely, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Nassau, Barbados, Belize and Dominica.

BELCO is attempting to restore power to almost 50% of its residential customers and the presence and expertise of the CARILEC crew will go a long way in achieving this mission. The crew will also help in relieving BELCO’s workers who are already putting in 14 and in some cases 24 hour shifts.

The restoration exercise is made possible under the CARILEC Hurricane Action Plan (CHAP). The overall intent of the CHAP is to provide joint manpower assistance to an electric utility that has suffered hurricane damage. Under the plan, the utility receiving assistance provides room and board for the visiting crew.

The BELCO Coordinators have gone out of their way in ensuring a smooth entry for the crew. Prior arrangements were made with Customs and Immigration Officials to facilitate efficient processing of the crew and their gear.

The 22sq mile island of Bermuda was ravaged by Hurricane Fabian on Friday, September 5th 2003. The category four hurricane raced through the island, ripping roofs from homes, downing powerlines and telephone poles and causing extensive tree damage. As of today, there are still 9,000 homes without power. BELCO has a total of 25,000 residential customers and a population of 62,000.

At its most destructive, Fabian brought winds of up to 150 miles per hour, making it the worst hurricane to affect the island in 50 years. Island-wide restoration efforts are well under way with the Police, Bermuda Regiment and the Ministry of Works and Engineering providing an outstanding service.

The island is still receiving rain, making it painfully difficult to reopen the airport and a severely damaged causeway. Air traffic has been restricted to daytime flights. This restriction poised a huge challenge to CARIILEC’s efforts at flying in the crew earlier in the week.

CARILEC is proud of the support and cooperation of its member utilities, especially the Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) in Grand Cayman, who handled days of negotiations with Cayman Airways to collect crews from Jamaica (used as a hub for gathering crews), and Grand Cayman and head off to the island of Bermuda with over 8,000 lbs of tools and equipment. The organisation is mindful of the sacrifice each utility makes in providing such assistance and commends each Management team for responding promptly to this call for help.

Praise and thanks must also be extended to the Coordinating Committee at BELCO for their efficient planning and for the warm reception extended to the crews.

End

B.Cheryl Hosier
Member Services Coordinator
CARILEC
758-452-0140 / 758-452-8604
msc@carilec.org