Dorian recovery ‘continues to flow’ – telecom

Cable & Wireless Communications, parent company of FLOW, has announced it is moving full speed ahead with efforts to restore telephone service to the northern Bahamas which was wiped out by Hurricane Dorian.

Now the Barbadian business of the regional telecom giant is set to launch a wider appeal for aid to the survivors on the Abaco and Grand Bahama islands.

Last week, C&W’s Charitable Foundation said it had earmarked some US$500,000 towards immediate and long-term relief and restoration in the aftermath of the Category 5 Hurricane.

And today, FLOW’s Senior Manager for Communications Marilyn Sealy told Barbados TODAY that her company is launching an appeal in aid of the Bahamas.

She said: “In the coming weeks we are also going to be appealing to our staff and the general public for donations of water and non-perishable food items, clothing, toys and toiletries.

“On the ground in the Bahamas all our team members have been accounted for.

“We now have teams on the ground mobilizing the efforts in terms of, one, assisting them in their time of need, but also getting the network up and running.”

Some of the network was damaged on the islands of Abaco, Grand Bahama, Berry Islands and Bimini and work is underway to repair it, she said.

“We are happy to say that some of our landline services remained available throughout the storm, which speaks to the strength of our network, not only in Barbados, but across the Caribbean.

“We know that The Bahamas Telecommunications Company, which is part of Cable & Wireless Communications,  would have had some issues with landline and internet.”

The FLOW senior manager pointed out that a large portion of the network did not have backup power to keep the service running during the cyclone’s passage.

Sealy also said FLOW had donated 48 landlines to assist in last Sunday’s telethon to raise $500,000 for the Bahamas restoration efforts.