BELCO Hurricane Imelda Update

Hamilton,
Bermuda

During the evening of October 1 and the morning of October 2 Bermuda experienced hurricane force winds from Hurricane Imelda which caused at the height, around 18,000 customer outages across the island.

Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO) crews are working to assess the network and restore the power as quickly and safely as possible. There have been a number of pole fires as well as downed wires reported and our teams are addressing them as a priority.

As of 12pm 11,602 BELCO customers are experiencing an outage, which means that since the early morning, power has been restored to over 2,600 customers.

Please note that as restoration efforts continue, customers may experience temporary outages as crews de-energise circuits to safely effect repairs. As a result, outage numbers will fluctuate throughout this process.

Pole fires are a constant threat and highly unpredictable as to when and where they will occur. Storm conditions can cause salt to deposit on our overhead infrastructure,which sometimes can result in a pole fire. If a member of the public sees a pole fire stay well clear and call 955.

BELCO Managing Director Shelly Leaman said: “I would ask the public to have patience as our crews work to restore power. Please also give crews room to work and if barriers are in place please do not move them or drive around them. I would also ask customers not to call to report power outages as we have a limited number of telephone lines, which must be kept open for emergency calls, such as pole fires, downed power lines, and other critical emergencies.”

BELCO’s head office at 27 Serpentine Road will re-open for walk in customers at 8:30 AM on Friday, October 3.

The public can get updates on storm-related outages through BELCO’s website and social media pages, including Facebook, X, and Instagram.