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Hurricane Put 90 Percent of Bermuda Out of Power

Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

Hurricane Put 90 Percent of Bermuda Out of Power

 
October 23, 2014

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  By Tara Seals, Contributing Writer

If there’s anything that tests the resilience of both man and infrastructure, it’s a hurricane. As the 2014 season wades into its middle age, Bermuda got walloped last week by Hurricane Gonzalo — pointing out once again how fragile the energy grid can really be.


Gonzalo, a dangerous Category 4 storm, had sustained winds of around 110 MPH as it made landfall on the island over the weekend, resulting in a power outage for 28,850 customers, or 90 percent of the population, according to the Bermuda Electric Light Co. (BELCO). Adding insult to injury, more than 1,000 homes were already without power before Gonzalo, in the wake of Tropical Storm Fay five days earlier.

“It is important to realize that damage is widespread, so restoration will not be quick or easy,” a BELCO spokesperson told the Weather Channel. “We are also assessing damage and responding to reports of downed poles and other equipment, such as transformers."

As of Wednesday October 22, 3,281 customers remained without power, according to BELCO’s Facebook (News - Alert) page.

Gonzalo was the strongest storm to pummel the British territory in a decade — and only two Category 4 storms have ever before been recorded on the island. As an affluent tourist destination and hub for the insurance industry, Bermuda has a lot to lose. Bermuda Weather Service director Kimberley Zuill said that the damage would likely be on par with 2003’s Hurricane Fabian, which caused $300 million in damage.

A comprehensive power protection plan could have helped many businesses stay ahead of the curve during the outage.

“By protecting point of sale, network, and communications systems with uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs), retail stores [can] continue processing sales [in the event of an outage],” said Minuteman Power Technologies, in a blog.

For instance, a hotel could benefit from utilizing extended runtime UPSs as a holdover for backup generators, which could provide power to climate control in at least part of the facility — critical in subtropical climates like Bermuda.

“In addition, refunds and other customer service measures would be handled much more smoothly with computer systems online, turning a bad situation into an opportunity to make a positive impression with high service,” the blog continued.

The company recently added the Endeavor 5-10kVA line to its Minuteman Endeavor Online UPSs, which are made for large-scale operations. These battery-backup systems utilize double conversion technology and provide versatility for protecting large networks, servers, enterprise communications and large-scale security systems — including an electrical firewall that provides the protection for critical applications.




Edited by Rory J. Thompson
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