BEL Sends Technicians to Jamaica to Support Post-Hurricane Power Restoration

Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) has deployed a specialized team of power line technicians to Jamaica to assist with restoration efforts following the island’s recent hurricane damage. The team landed in Jamaica on Wednesday as part of a coordinated response through the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), of which both Belize and Jamaica are members.  The deployment is part of a mutual aid arrangement that allows regional utilities to support one another in times of crisis. BEL’s technicians are expected to assist with the rebuilding of critical electrical infrastructure, much of which was severely impacted by the storm.  Ashton Webster, BEL’s Manager for Distribution and Operations, told Love News that the Belizean team will remain in Jamaica for as long as needed to help stabilize and restore the island’s power network.

Ashton Webster, BEL Manager, Distribution Operations: “This cohort is going to be six weeks. From our knowledge and our expertise on this end we’re not certain it’s going to be a six weeks effort. It likely will take longer but we’re willing to support Jamaica as long as they require us. And to answer your next question, yes, it is, there’s in terms of skill set, a lineman is a unique profession, right? You have to go through a whole host of training, which our guys have, but it’s not something that you can pick up anybody and just go and rebuild power lines, right? So this expertise is needed across the, well, it’s needed on the island and the island doesn’t have enough contractors and in-house resources to support their own hurricane restoration effort. So that’s why it would lean on the Caribbean country and that’s why we have CARILEC and this sort of program for us to pool together and get these type of support especially for you know a category 5 hurricane which is complete devastation and rebuilding right. It’s a lot of work, again it’s you know putting back poles, sometimes salvaging material you and there’s not a lot of people in the Caribbean who has these expertise. So they are power line technicians. And yes, Mr. Lopez that’s there he is what we call a lead hand. So he’s a crew lead and all the rest of guys are senior PLTs. They’ve been at the company for quite over four years. There’s only one guy that is, you would say, junior. But we try to give them the experience, right? Again, we’ve been doing this for a while. This is not the first hurricane restoration effort. So we try to give all our PLTs exposure in this light and this is a team that got the opportunity to showcase their skills in the Caribbean.”

As it relates to the scope of work that the BEL technicians will engage in, Webster says the preliminary report from the team signals weeks of rebuilding.  He noted that the cost of BEL’s assistance is being absorbed by CARILEC and Jamaica.

Ashton Webster, BEL Manager, Distribution Operations: “So far, the information is that they will be placed in the parish of Westmorland as we understand that island hasn’t been touched as yet. So it’s going to be a complete rebuild. So far there is 67% restoration on the island and this area is about 33% incomplete so this is the area that was affected drastically. It’s fallen infrastructure. It’s inaccessible road. It’s a complete rebuild for this area. So the guys will have a lot on their hands. In terms of funding, it’s Jamaica supporting on their end with accommodations, food, meals, getting the guys to and from work sites every day. And then we would provide, as you said earlier a per diem that sort of thing, but we get reimbursed for those from CARILEC.”

The team will be reporting to the BEL headquarters daily.