Power widely restored as CUC works round the clock

(CNS): CUC crews continued to work through the weekend to complete storm damage repairs to power lines across Grand Cayman in the wake of Tropical Storm Grace last week. The storm took a toll on the power company’s network, but just a few customers now remain to be reconnected. By Sunday afternoon, most people in the Eastern Districts who had been without power for more than four days were connected again.

But CUC said late last night that there were still some areas, such as parts of Kaibo in North Side and Church Street in George Town, where the power was still off. There were also a small number of individual customers and small outage pockets dispersed across the island, which are being systematically addressed.

In some cases these power outages can be restored quickly, while others require more extensive work. However, CUC said the crews will continue to work round the clock to get people’s lights back on.

“Crews continue to reconnect a significant number of customers whose electrical facilities sustained damage and were disconnected to enable the customer to repairs their premises,” a CUC spokesperson said.

Those customers are reminded to contact a licenced electrician and obtain approval from the Government’s Building Control Unit (BCU), which is required prior to the CUC connection. People are also urged to follow the safety guidelines when using generators: never connect the output of the generator into the electrical breaker panel or household outlets; keep generators outdoors in open spaces and always plug your appliances directly into the generator; and avoid overloading.

The public is reminded to stay away from downed power lines and to exercise caution while on the roads.

For more on the areas without power, check the CUC Outage Map to confirm that the outage has been recorded and to obtain the estimated outage restoration time.

Those without power but whose neighbours have electricity should leave a message on the Outage Hotline at 945-1282, which is being monitored.

To report downed power lines, fires or other electrical safety issues, please call 911.