The Tribune

By LETRE SWEETING

Tribune Staff Reporter

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

A 79-year-old ice cream parlour owner in North Andros says the cost of maintaining a generator to power her appliances when the electricity goes off exceeds what she makes from her business.

Diana Beneby said the power in Mastic Point sometimes goes off for up to 11 hours.

She is the latest resident on the island to complain to the press about something they believe is getting insufficient attention from government officials in New Providence.

“Our MP is MIA,” she said, referring to Leonardo Lightbourne. “There’s no voice to speak for us. Would somebody do something for North Andros because the government has money to go here, there and everywhere, and the workers in this BPL station are working with the garbage they are sent.”

The unreliability of electricity in North Andros intensified after a catastrophic fire destroyed a Bahamas Power and Light station there in July.

Ms Beneby said she had spent more than $1,000 on fuel since then to maintain her propane generator. She said since June, she has not made even $400 in profit from her business.

She said she completed BPL forms for assistance concerning resources damaged by the outages but has got no response.

She said her next step is to petition the public for help.

The power woes on the island come on top of growing banking woes. Some North Andros residents travel up to four hours to access an ATM.

“I simply don’t know what century it is we’re living in here in North Andros. I know it isn’t the 21st century,” Ms Beneby said.

Loney Storr, who owns a restaurant and a bar, said his power was off for over five hours yesterday.

He said considerable energy and money are spent getting ice, with workers travelling to Central Andros for ice to keep the beers cold. Earlier this summer, they lost beers that went flat.

When the power goes off at his restaurant, the water turns off, too.

“If you don’t have hot water in the restaurant, you can’t wash, you can’t do anything,” he said.