You Can Help Us Restore Anguilla By Christmas!
ANGLEC is committed to restoring Anguilla in the quickest time possible, and have set a goal of Christmas for island-wide restoration…but we need your help!
Christmas is a very special time of year in Anguilla. Our community comes to life in an elaborate display of light, love and unity. The island is always abuzz of activity come year end as we welcome friends, family and guests from near and far in celebration of the festive season.
This year The Anguilla Electricity Company Ltd. (ANGLEC) is working hard to make Christmas 2017 a happy reality for the entire island, post hurricane Irma.
On Friday October 27 th,2017, ANGLEC’s CEO, David Gumbs and PRO, Jemila Morson-Hodge made a public appeal for additional resources with a series of radio interviews. Since then, there has been an outpouring of support from several entities, on and offline, and ANGLEC is pleased to officially launch our appeal here on our company blog!
WHAT DO WE NEED TO REACH OUR GOAL?
RESOURCES NEEDED
Work period: approximately 50 days
Deadline for arrival on island: November, 15th 2017
PERSONNEL
• Linesmen total: 40 (can accept smaller groups/individuals).
Linesmen must be climbers/spikers and at least 5 of the above linesmen must be Digger Derrick Operators.
EQUIPMENT
• Bucket trucks : 10 (at least 6 with a 50 ft boom, along with equipment handlers)
• Digger Derricks : 3
• Heavy duty flat bed trucks/support vehicles : 4
• Cable Trailers : 4
REASON FOR PUBLIC CAMPAIGN:
On September 6th, 2016 hurricane Irma hit Anguilla, leaving unprecedented amounts of damage in her wake. The electrical grid of The Anguilla Electricity Company Ltd. (ANGLEC) was no exception to the impact, in fact, our infrastructure suffered some of the most significant damage on island, carrying with it the most far-reaching consequences for our nation. Our initial evaluations revealed that over 40% of ANGLEC’s infrastructure was compromised at best, with much of it being totally irrecoverable. Over the weeks post Irma, ANGLEC’s teams have worked tirelessly to restore Anguilla in the shortest time possible with considerable success to date. However, not for a lack of effort, we will be unable to restore the entire island by the end of the year without additional assistance. ANGLEC is a very small utility, with only 15 linesmen on staff. We knew immediately that we would need additional manpower to tackle the extraordinary amounts of destruction to our grid.
As a result, ANGLEC’s management and staff have worked diligently behind the scenes to secure aid in support of our ongoing restoration efforts. While we have been fortunate to receive assistance through our CARILEC partnership, the manpower needed to restore Anguilla by our target date is unavailable to us through CARILEC as their obligation extends to approximately 9 members that were significantly impacted by several hurricanes this season. Looking beyond our regional pool of resources has proved promising, but we need all the help we can get to secure any meaningful assistance relative to our timelines. Additional teams must arrive by November 15th to reach our Christmas goal. While a public campaign was a last resort, it is now imperative to help ANGLEC complete this critical exercise by year end.
Consequence OF A LONGER RESTORATION
Our current projections put island-wide restoration at a deadline of February 2018, at best. This could come with grave consequences to the economy and stability of our island. Tourism is our main industry in Anguilla and supports a significant part of our economy. With mid-December representing the peak of our tourist season, restoring electricity to coastal areas and the ends of the island where many hotels, restaurants and villas are located is imperative. Unfortunately, these are the areas that sustained the most damage.
With each passing day persons in our community are also faced with a growing list of complications post hurricane Irma. By securing the additional resources mentioned, ANGLEC can continue leading the way in the full restoration of Anguilla which extends beyond electricity – health and safety being paramount. We at ANGLEC believe that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. While we are a resilient people, there are many of us who are struggling during this time. Having island-wide electricity would put us all one step closer to restoring normalcy, a critical standard of health, security and economic stability.
We are so close to our goal and with your help we can reach it! If you have a connection with a utility or experienced utility worker please share our appeal with them and help give Anguilla a bright Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank you to all those near and far who have already placed calls, shared posts and sent emails on our behalf! For more, information and further details on our appeal, please send us a message on Facebook or contact our Human Resources Officer, Erimel Franklin at 1-264-497-5200.
