Nassau, Bahamas - As
residents in south and central Bahamas work to rebuild their lives
after the devastation caused by Hurricane Joaquin, Cable Bahamas has
stepped in to offer some relief by suspending billing for cable
television services on those islands through to January 2016. This offer
from the company coincides with its ongoing restoration programme
targeted at restoring its services on islands hit by the storm.
"We understand that this is a difficult time for residents in the
southern and central islands of The Bahamas and we wanted to assist them
in a meaningful way," Cable Bahamas Vice President of Marketing David
Burrows said. "Our efforts not only include restoring our services on
those islands and reconnecting them to the rest of the country through
communications, but we know that these residents are facing a number of
challenges, so we've decided to provide our REVTV service free of charge
for the remainder of the year to allow them to focus on what's really
important at this time."
Mr Burrows added that, according to daily updates from company
technicians, efforts to restore infrastructure damaged by the storm are
progressing smoothly.
The company commenced its restoration programme shortly after the
storm's passing, addressing significant damage to its aerial and ground
structures caused by high winds and flooding.
Since then, the team of technicians has begun repairs on damaged
facilities, equipment and downed poles and fibre lines affecting their
distribution network. The company provided the following updates
regarding the islands primarily affected by the hurricane:
San Salvador: Technicians have successfully
replaced all three satellite dishes on the island. Channels that are now
on air comprise all networks, as well as ZNS - 11, Channel Guide - 12,
Turner Classic - 14, ISAT - 15, Lifetime - 16, Lifetime Movie - 17,
Oxygen - 18, TNT - 19, HGTV - 22, Food Network - 23, Animal Planet - 24,
Discovery - 25, Nickelodeon - 27, Cartoon Network - 28, Boomerang - 29,
Fox Soccer - 30, ESPN1 - 31, ESPN2 - 32, CNN Headline - 33, CNN - 34,
The Weather Channel - 37, Bahamas Parliament - 38, Space - 39, E!
Entertainment - 43, TV5 - 45, MTV - 46 and EWTN - 50.
Technicians are awaiting additional dish parts and are working with
a construction crew to restore all other channels, which is expected to
be completed by the end of this week.
The team is also working to restore a number of fallen utility
poles and fibre lines on the island. Since this week's arrival of a
bucket truck, Cable Bahamas has dispatched a two-man crew to conduct
network repairs beginning in Cockburn Town, and continuing north to
restore any down fibre lines, taps and service drops.
Long Island: Power has been restored at the television transport facility
and most of Deadman's Cay. Most channels are back in service for
most of Deadman's Cay. The same is true for all areas heading north - 14
neighbourhoods in all.
Technicians are working with a bucket van to repair fibre lines in
northern Long Island. The repair team anticipates that all nodes from
Deadman's Cay to the northern end of the island should be functional by
week's end.
Replacement cables and hardware are en route to Crooked Island,
Acklins, and Rum Cay where Cable Bahamas operates over-the-air
television broadcast systems. These systems will remain out of service
until equipment arrives and repairs are completed. Technicians have
reported that there is no mechanical damage to transmitters on these
islands, but some alignment may be necessary.
Cable Bahamas Vice President of Engineering John Gomez noted that
the team of technicians is making great progress on the repairs and
commended them for their proficiency in the wake of this disaster.
"We are proud of our repair crews for their quick work and all that
has been accomplished so far," Mr Gomez said. "Despite challenging
working conditions, they are doing a tremendous job of helping to bring a
sense of normalcy back to residents affected by the hurricane. We are
also appreciative of our valued customers who have been patient with us
as we work hard to restore services in the central and southern
islands."