The Central Command Centre for the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) was activated at 6:00 pm on Monday 27 June 2022, in anticipation of adverse weather conditions arising from the impending passage of Tropical Storm Bonnie and has been operational since.
Confirmation came from T&TEC a short while ago, in a statement advising that all its Customer Service Centres will close at 2:00 pm today, and all planned outages originally scheduled for today and tomorrow, have been cancelled.
The company says along with its existing emergency numbers, 800-8832 (TTEC) and 800-2852 (BULB), two additional hotlines have been activated — 794-7264 and 794-4823.
“Call Centres are fully staffed with additional people assigned to manage all incoming calls,” T&TEC assures. “Updates on reports will be available on the 800 numbers via an automated message. Additional updates and safety advice will also be made available on social media and the T&TEC website."
T&TEC also has activated the following protocols:
1. All mobile substations are on standby, ready to be deployed to areas of greatest need during restoration. Two substations have already been deployed to Tobago and two to the North Coast.
2. Two crews, with accompanying trucks, have been deployed from Trinidad to Tobago to provide additional support on the island. In addition to over 70 crews on standby nationwide, separate crews will be routed this afternoon to vulnerable regions in East Trinidad and East Tobago, to allow for faster response times in those areas.
3. Preventative measures have been put in place at all substations to avoid possible flooding.
4. All key personnel and staff are on full alert – leave has been cancelled for all field staff and all external tree trimming personnel are to be available to assist with response activities.
As it urged the public to exercise caution and protect against threats and danger, T&TEC also issued the following guidelines for those in flooded areas:
“Persons who have experienced flooding in their homes should exercise extreme caution when walking/standing in flood waters as they could be at risk for shock or electrocution. Turn off any electrical outlet or connection that has been or is likely to be breached by water. This can be done by turning off the breaker switch for that individual outlet. Similarly, standing on a wet surface and handling electrical equipment such as cords, power tools, plugs, outlets exposes you to the same danger.”
The company says that in its role as part of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management’s (ODPM) National Emergency Operation Centre, it will be sharing updates with the public via the ODPM and its own T&TEC digital/social media channels.