Thursday 14 September 2017

UK power squad heads to Anguilla after Hurricane Irma

A team from UK Power Networks is heading to Anguilla tomorrow to help restore electricity after Hurricane Irma.

The six-member team from the power distribution company will help plan how to rebuild the storm-ravaged island.

The company says a whole new network of overhead cables need to be installed to get the lights back on as Anguilla has no underground electricity cables and limited generators so lack of power is a “big problem” for the island.

Without overseas assistance, it is estimated to take up to six months to restore power across the area.

Steve White, Head of Network Operations said: “We have been asked by the government to be part of an industry-wide effort to help the islands impacted. This first trip is effectively a reconnaissance mission to assess the full extent of the damage, which we know is very extensive and start planning the rebuild of the electricity infrastructure.”