BEL assists British Virgin Islands with hurricane restoration

Posted: Wednesday, September 27, 2017. 5:00 p.m. CST.

By BBN Staff: The Belize Electricity Ltd. (BEL) deployed a team of five linemen to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) on Monday to assist the BVI Electricity Corporation with power restoration efforts following destruction caused to the island by hurricanes Irma and Maria.The hurricanes battered the islands on August 29 and September 18 respectively.

BEL provided its efforts as a member of the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) and in support of its Disaster Response and Restoration Plan for member utilities.

“Our collective hearts bleed for our Caribbean family, whose lives and way of life have been destroyed by these hurricanes. BEL is joining forces with other CARILEC member utilities and will be sending teams of linemen to support their restoration efforts as thousands of customers are without proper shelter, potable water and electricity among many other basic amenities,” Jeffrey Locke, Chief Executive Officer of Belize Electricity Limited and Vice Chairman of CARILEC said. “The effort to restore electricity in island nations like Barbuda, Anguilla and Dominica will take months and much longer for life to return to a semblance of normalcy. The people of the Caribbean are resilient and united. So we look forward to the days ahead when the region rebounds from this devastation.”

The BEL team comprised of employees Michael Nembhard, Faron Flores, Arnold Tillett, Jessie Martinez and Brian Gentle.