The Tribune

RESIDENTS in some of the islands ravaged by Hurricane Joaquin are able to communicate with the outside world again after the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) initiated communications centres in Ragged Island, Inagua and Clarence Town, Long Island, yesterday, allowing them to make telephone calls and send emails free of charge.

In Ragged Island, customers can make telephone calls at the BTC office. In Inagua and Clarence Town, customers are able to make telephone calls and send emails from the BTC locations. Residents will be given three minutes each, allowing them to connect with loved ones. BTC said yesterday that, at the moment, calls are only able to leave the islands and customers are not able to make calls into the islands. The call centres were open until 7 o’clock last night and will be open from 10am to 6pm today.

On Sunday, BTC mobilised a 30-member assessment team to review the state of the network. The team travelled through San Salvador and Crooked Island and then flew into Long Island yesterday. Initial reports show that there has been significant damage to BTC’s systems in each of the affected areas.