Utilities Minister thanks T&TEC team for helping Grenada after Hurricane Beryl

Kristen-Le Chelle Winchester

PUBLIC Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales has expressed gratitude for T&TEC's response to a call to help in Carriacou, Grenada after Hurricane Beryl battered the island on July 1.

The category four storm also hit St Vincent and the Grenadines, Jamaica and Barbados.

The 18-member response team gathered at the Ministry of Public Utilities, St Clair on August 26 to receive certificates in recognition of their efforts to provide electricity services to people affected by the disaster.

Gonzales told them: “You should feel a sense of pride. You can’t bring dollars and cents to what you have done. If you get overtime and salaries, that cannot compensate for what you have done for your fellow mankind.

"I am now into my fifth year as Minister of Public Utilities. I would have been part of the commissioning of initiatives and projects that would have impacted and continued to impact the lives of TT in a profound way. I would choose certain events for me to bring personal remarks,
because the simplest of things can be the most
profound.

"What you have done here over the last month for our brothers and sisters in Carriacou will remain deep even when I am no longer minister. What you have done has impacted the simple lives of men and women and children on that island and it has helped advance the cause of humanity.”

Curvis Francois, T&TEC general manager, praised the team for restoring electricity, describing
the achievement as a job well done.

“The arrival of T&TEC meant hope for the people of Carriacou, and four weeks later that hope was realised. When you brought on a street light in the community, one of the customers (cried) tears of joy.

“Four weeks later, 90 per cent of the electrical grid was repowered. Over 600 customers were back on supply, where there were none initially.

"This was the achievement you made in just a short time. You did it. Thank you very much. A job well done.”

One of the T&TEC response members, who asked not to be named, told Newsday his experience was challenging and unexpected.

"It was a really tremendous experience. You know what you’re expecting,
but when you get there it is way beyond what you expected.

"The most fascinating thing for me was speaking to the locals and actually hearing how their experience was. We were not prepared for anything like that.

"The most challenging part of the entire thing was salvaging materials to get the job completed. Everything was in a short space of time with limited resources. Whenever the materials that we went with were finished, we had to retrieve all the old materials that were in people's houses."

He said he appreciated the gesture of thanks from the ministry and the commission.

"This was very important for our morale. We left our families, and it’s nice to see that they are showing appreciation and recognising the sacrifices that we made."

What T&TEC did for Carriacou

On July 28, an 18-member linesman team from T&TEC left for Carriacou to help restore power.

On July 25, five trucks loaded with ancillary tools and equipment, were shipped to the main island of Grenada in advance of the crew's arrival.

The team was sent to do major reconstruction work – installing and straightening poles; stringing, splicing and tensioning conductors; and installing pole-mounted transformers and related fittings.