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WAPA Crew to Assist with Bahamas Electrical Restoration
(Thursday, October 15, 2015)
Virgin Islands Water and Power
Authority Executive Director, Hugo V. Hodge, Jr., said today that a five-man
line crew, consisting of employees from both districts, are in Nassau, Bahamas,
to assist with electrical restoration in the wake of Hurricane Joaquin. WAPA’s
personnel travelled to the hurricane-ravaged island in response to a request
for assistance from the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC).
BEC and WAPA are both members
of the Organization of Caribbean Electric Utilities (CARILEC). As members of
CARILEC, as well as the organization’s Lineman Program, WAPA and BEC are taking
advantage of the mutual-aid program administered through CARILEC. The program
allows member utilities to request assistance through the organization, when
restoration efforts are required. In times of need, members of these
organizations recognize the importance of prompt restoration, and are ready and
willing to assist in the efforts.
Hodge said he received
notification from Kevin Basden, General Manager of BEC, through the Caribbean
Electric Utilities Organization (CARILEC) disaster restoration program, that
the country needed assistance to restore basic electricity service. “Basden
indicated that the islands electrical system received some damage from
Hurricane Joaquin and his crews would need assistance to fully restore their
system,” Hodge said, adding, our line personnel are always willing to
participate in this type of program for which WAPA has received similar
assistance during past post-hurricane restoration efforts. Hodge noted that the
effect of a Category Four hurricane can be devastating and the destruction to
the electrical transmission and distribution system in the Bahamas is perhaps
widespread.
As the Chairman of CARILEC,
Hodge hailed the mutual aid program as being a key element of support for power
utilities up and down the Caribbean. “It is reassuring to know that in time of
recovery and restoration, the various power companies, WAPA included, have a
pool of resources across the Caribbean that can be tapped to restore electrical
power in a more timely fashion.”
“While the extent of damage to
the island’s electrical system is still unknown, the linemen are prepared to do
all they can to stabilize and restore the electrical service for the residents
whose lives were already disrupted by the hurricane,” said Clinton Hedrington,
WAPA’s director of Transmission and Distribution.
The members of WAPA’s restoration team include: Dwayne
Carr, Luisito Frederick, Rey Belardo, Jr., Mark Thomas and Eugene Estridge. Before their departure, the team was encouraged to do their
best while keeping each other safe.
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