Northern communities face another week before current flows fully again, says BL&P

Just around 9,500 electricity customers remained in the dark as the eighth night fell since the passage of Hurricane Elsa as Light and Power predicted it would take another seven days to achieve a full restoration.

In an update on the situation at a press conference Friday, BL&P Director of Customer Solutions Kim Griffith-Tang How said the company would extend “some goodwill” to affected customers in the north to ensure their safety by installing temporary lighting towers and distributing ice in select areas.

The selected communities in the parishes of St Andrew and St Thomas are French Village, White Hill, St Simons, Highland, Mount Misery and Blunts.

Explaining how these villages were chosen Griffith-Tang How said: “We have done our assessments in some instances these communities have extensive work to be done…Some of them are in heavily wooded areas or have accessibility issues so we recognize that it could take time for our crews to work our way to them.

“It’s really from a safety point of view we recognized through this that people are still going to work, taking the bus getting off the bus and having to walk home and especially those areas where we haven’t restored [power] there might be an element of safety concern and so the lighting towers is really to provide the residents with a level of comfort.”

The BL&P executive said it could be some time before power is restored to those in northern and easterly areas and they wanted to provide some relief to ease the distress.

Asked to respond to concerns raised by residents in the parish of St Andrew who said they have not seen much progress in the area, Griffith-Tang How said the restoration crews are working as fast as they can.

She told reporters: “On the Belleplaine feeder quite a few communities and areas along there our crews are working their way along that line today working towards Chalky Mount.

“And off from the main [lines]are what we call spurs which would lead into different gaps or communities… so we are trying to look for where we can get into those areas and get the work done.” (KB)