The Government of Montserrat has given a further update on the island’s power and water situation.
In a joint statement from Governor Sarah Tucker, Premier Joseph Farrell and Deputy Premier Dr. Samuel Joseph, they gave “huge thanks to the herculean efforts of MUL, and supporting visiting engineers” for the stable power the island experience today.
“We are still in testing phase and at this stage, may still have to revert to 4/4 load shedding. This afternoon, the engineer for Generator 6 will arrive and tomorrow we will have an update on progress,” the statement read.
In regards to the low water levels in some communities, the release said that as power has been restored, the water tanks are being replenished. However, it will take a number of days for them to be at the expected levels and residents should be mindful to preserve water.
“The DMCA and FCDO are ensuring we have sufficient fresh water back up stocks on island. The FCDO, with MUL and the PMO are sourcing replacement generators,” the release added.
The government has requested additional engineering support through the FCDO to assist the team at the utilities company who have been working very long hours.
“We recognise that some households, who have lost perishable goods over the last few weeks, have greater financial hardship. We will be putting in place the ability to obtain some grocery vouchers for those that need it via the Social Services Department; the details are being finalised. Communication will be issued on this in the next day or so,” the officials said.
The National Advisory Council met again today and will reconvene on Monday. The Central coordination team continues to meet daily and is in constant dialogue, including more broadly across Cabinet.
“Our objectives remain:-
“To stabilise, to build medium term resilience and then to identify and plan the long term requirements.
“We continue to work closely with MUL, DMCA and the UKG across all areas.
“We recognise the frustration people are feeling, and thank you for your continued understanding and patience. This is a very challenging time for us all.
“We also recognise that this national situation has impacted across the whole of the island and especially to a number of food businesses that do not have inbuilt resilience such as generators. At this stage we are not able to deal with individual enquires but we are very alive to the challenges you have faced.
“We are working as quickly as we can to get everyone back to normal.
“Once again, we would like to offer our sincere thanks to all of the engineers and support teams that are working around the clock to get Montserrat power stability, and to everyone, for their continued understanding,” the statement ended.
