The Tribune

CABLE Bahamas has started the process of restoring service to the central and south eastern Bahama islands which were severely affected by Hurricane Joaquin.

The company announced yesterday that it has completed its assessments of the affected areas, with reports indicating significant and extensive damage to aerial infrastructure throughout the islands and structural and water damage to the television transport facilities on Long Island and San Salvador.

“In Long Island, crews reported that 50 miles of utility poles were destroyed, with 10 miles of cable distribution infrastructure affected. Cable TV systems on all islands in the area were affected due to damage by the high winds and flooding that impacted utility poles, receiving and transmission equipment,” a statement from Cable Bahamas read.

“This is being done with health and safety of our crews always in mind, as the restoration work takes place following storms is often hazardous,” said Vice President of Marketing David Burrows. “The storm has already caused widespread pain and suffering for our people, and our crews are working hard to ensure that all of our services are fully restored as quickly as possible.”

In San Salvador, the company said full commercial power has not yet been restored, and there are numerous utility poles down that are directly affecting Cable Bahamas’ distribution network. The Cable Bahamas’ television transport facility is operational and replacements for the damaged satellite dishes are ready to be shipped from Nassau.

In Long Island the Cable Bahamas television transport facility in Deadman’s Cay suffered water damage, which affected electrical systems and cable TV equipment. Crews are on the island and have started rebuilding the cable distribution infrastructure as utility poles are being replaced. While BEC, whose power station is located in Millers, has begun restoring power to northern Long Island and moving south, Cable Bahamas’ recovery will have to be on the heels of BEC’s restoration.

Cable Bahamas operates five different over-the-air television broadcast systems in the central Bahamas – on Crooked Island, Acklins, Mayaguana, Rum Cay and Ragged Island – where residents receive services using a standard TV with a broadcast receiving antenna.

The transmission systems in Crooked Island, Acklins, and Rum Cay are currently out of service due to storm damage, the company said, while the systems in Mayaguana and Ragged Island were restored to service on Saturday. “Replacement equipment and materials are en route from North America and are expected to arrive at the islands that are still impacted by Wednesday. Crews will be co-ordinated to ensure that the restoration of broadcasts at these locations is expedited,” the statement said.

Vice President of Engineering John Gomez noted that work to restore the distribution cable plant and work on the cable television transport facilities is being carried out simultaneously. “Our hardworking crews are working diligently to ensure that restoration of services is completed quickly and safely,” he said.

Mr Gomez added that there is a long road to recovery ahead, but Cable Bahamas is prepared for “the long haul” and the company’s goal is to ensure that communication is strong throughout the process. “Our support staff has extensive experience in restoration following hurricanes and are well prepared for the work ahead of them,” he said.