By FAY SIMMONS
TRIBUNE Business Reporter
jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
A NORTH Eleuthera short-term rental owner yesterday criticised Bahamas Power & Light’s (BPL) handling of an extended power outage, warning that unreliable electricity is disrupting residents' daily lives and threatening the visitor experience.
The owner, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the latest interruption, which began on Sunday evening, highlights a long-standing problem with the utility's ability to respond to outages when the Glass Window Bridge is closed.
In a notice yesterday, BPL said bad weather had delayed restoration efforts overnight, while the bridge's closure further prevented technicians from accessing affected areas to begin repairs.
The utility said that, following the bridge's reopening, technicians began inspecting and patrolling the transmission and distribution system. Power has since been restored as far as Upper Bogue, with crews gradually restoring supply to downstream settlements.
However, the rental owner questioned why BPL had not established a crew north of the bridge to respond to outages, arguing that the problem had persisted for years.
“This has been years this has been going on, and they have yet to have a crew set up north of the bridge for this time,” the owner said, describing the situation as “very upsetting and overwhelming”.
They added that the lack of electricity was affecting more than tourism businesses, pointing to the difficulties households face when trying to prepare children for school, cook meals and get ready for work.
“People have to go through this day after day. They are getting stressed about finding water to bathe, they cannot cook a meal for their children before they go to school,” the owner said.
The latest BPL outage also raises concerns for short-term rental operators dealing with visitors who expect basic utilities to be available during their stays. The owner said tourists are also having to contend with the disruptions, describing the situation as “a stain on our tourism product”.
“These people, they spent their money, a lot of it. They expect basic things like electricity. When they talk about their trip now they say ‘the lights was off most of the time’. It’s a stain on our tourism product, that’s what this is,” the owner said.
Damaged appliances and food spoilage is another concern, with the owner questioning how BPL could continue billing consumers while failing to ensure that workers and equipment were positioned where they might be needed.
“This is completely unacceptable and a disgrace,” the owner said.
BPL apologised for the inconvenience and thanked consumers for their patience, noting technicians were continuing to work through rainy weather conditions to restore electricity to all remaining customers as quickly as possible. The utility said further updates would be provided as restoration efforts progressed.