Gibbons Bogg farmers ‘lose more as powerless days drag on’

A close-knit farming community in Christ Church moves towards its seventh day without electricity amid mounting losses and no word from Light & Power on when power will be restored

Gibbons Bogg farmer Margaret Norville told Barbados TODAY that after enduring the brute force of Hurricane Elsa last Friday, the area’s farmers are struggling to stay afloat as they are still without power to tend to their crops correctly.

“During the passage of the hurricane on Friday, we heard a loud explosion [from a transformer], the current then went off and we have not had back power since. A gentleman [from BL&P] was up here Saturday, and he said we should get back power by Monday, but we still have no power,” she said.

“Everything around here got damaged – well you know the paling would come down, but all crops got affected because the rain lick up everything. We can’t do any better because that is God’s work, but I would like the current because the fridge can’t be used now. No one around here can help you because everyone power down too. I had two candles and now I only have one for tonight, so I don’t know what will happen now.”

The hurricane swept through crops of cucumbers, okras, Chinese cabbage and pawpaw. she said. Now with the lack of power, the farmers are finding impossible to store produce and meat safely, she added.

According to Norville, she and other farmers have called BL&P on numerous occasions to plead their case for assistance, but currently, no concrete timeline has yet been given, even as losses mount.

“I told them the transformer was down, and they said they would have to let the people know that they have to bring a transformer when they are coming,” she said. “So I do not know how soon, I would love to get it back before weekend, but she told me she does not know, so I just hoping for the best.”
(SB)