Thanks for the heads up, CUC.
The power utility let us know yesterday that we can expect
electrical outages across Grand Cayman for the next four days.
It’s a problem we’re familiar with in the Cayman Islands as
temperatures rise and humans attempt to stay cool by lowering the thermostats
on their air conditioning units.
CUC assures us that engineers are here working feverishly to
fix the faltering generators.
But failed equipment that reduces generating capacity is
only one of the hurdles CUC faces as it tries to supply power to the largest of
the three Cayman Islands.
According to CUC’s website, “An outage may be caused by a
surge in power supply, by an accident involving one of our poles, by lightning
and even at times on an island such as ours; animals such as iguanas, frogs and
snakes may come into contact with hardware on our poles and cause an outage. In
addition, the accumulation of sea salt on pole line hardware and subsequent
rainfall may cause an outage. Also, we may have to turn the power off in the
event of a serious storm or hurricane and there are times when we will need to
turn the power off to carry out a maintenance programme.”
As much as we grouse about CUC when we get our monthly bill,
we do have to admit that without our power supplier life wouldn’t be as
pleasant. Remember the days, weeks and months without power after Hurricane
Ivan in 2004?
If your power bill is too high, there are some things you
can do to help reduce the numbers. CUC will even give you some tips and
pointers on how to make your home, office or business more energy efficient.
Now that we know to expect power outages this week, we
should be prepared. Know where your candles and flashlights are and make sure
they are in working order. If you have a generator, make sure it’s filled with
fuel and works.
The outages shouldn’t last more than an hour in most cases,
according to CUC.
The best thing to do is be patient, understanding and be
ready.
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