In the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin, Cable Bahamas Ltd. has completed its assessments of the affected areas in the central and southern Bahamas and the company has commenced its restoration programme.

The assessment reports indicate that there has been significant damage to aerial infrastructure, structural and water damage to the television transport facilities on both Long Island and San Salvador.

Immediately after the official “all clear” was given, Cable Bahamas mobilised their assessment teams to the southeast of the country, specifically to Long Island, Crooked Island, Acklins, San Salvador and Rum Cay, the islands hardest hit by the powerful storm.

Once landed, the company’s restoration crews reported extensive damage throughout the islands.

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.

“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.”

The company provided the following status update for the primary islands affected by Hurricane Joaquin:

San Salvador: 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.

Long Island: The Cable Bahamas television transport facility did experience water damage, which affected electrical systems and cable TV equipment.

Cable Bahamas crews are on the island and have begun rebuilding the cable distribution infrastructure as utility poles are being replaced.

While BEC has begun restoring power to Northern Long Island, CBL is constrained with restoring service due to the following:

– The television transport facility is located in Deadman’s Cay
– The Bahamas Electricity Corporation power station is located in Millers. Power is being
restored from north to south. Hence, CBL’s recovery will 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.

Residents of these islands and the surrounding areas receive these services using a standard TV with a broadcast receiving antenna.

The over-the-air TV transmission systems in Crooked Island, Acklins, and Rum Cay are currently out of service due to damage from the storm.

The systems in Mayaguana and Ragged Island were restored to service on Saturday, October 10, 2015.

Replacement equipment and materials are en route from North America and are expected to arrive at the islands that are still impacted by Wednesday of this week. Crews will be coordinated to ensure that the restoration of broadcasts at these locations is expedited.

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,” Mr. Gomez stated.

Mr. Gomez added that there is a long road to recovery ahead but that Cable Bahamas is prepared for “the long haul” and the company’s goal is to ensure that communication is strong throughout the process.

He noted, “Our support staff has extensive experience in restoration following hurricanes and are well prepared for the work ahead of them.”

“The entire Cable Bahamas family extends our thoughts and prayers to all of our fellow Bahamians and residents living on those islands that were so badly impacted by Hurricane Joaquin,” said Mr. Burrows. “And, in an effort to keep our customers informed on the work we’re doing and the progress being made in their areas, we will prepare assessment reports for residents and distribute them locally on each island as well as in the national media. We want them to be encouraged and know that the company is committed to doing everything within our power to restore services to their areas.”