The Power situation continues to impact Island wide. We have set up a central coordination cell, consisting of the Governor, Premier, Deputy Premier, Financial Secretary and Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications Works and Labour (acting) Mrs Mendes.
This will direct all activity including the decisions on prioritisation.
An Update on the last 24 hours
WATER
Last night there was a quick change in schedule for power by MUL; this was because of a generator failure at the water pumping station, which left the North of the island without water.
Temporary replacement generators are being positioned today to alleviate the situation but it will take a few days to get water levels back to full capacity.
Resources from MCWLE are being diverted to support the Water and Sewage team to develop a strategic plan.
POWER
The engineer from BVI is supporting MUL, a further engineer from Miami will arrive this evening and another person tomorrow, to provide resilience. It is anticipated that MUL will be able to bring #6 Generator back on line by Friday July 28th, to reduce or remove load shedding by the weekend.
DMCA, with MUL, is supporting the Hospital to ensure it can continue to operate, and with the help of Meridian, and the Montserrat Port Authority, we will have a replacement generator in place this week.
We are seeking data on requirements and potential solutions to assess what additional generator capacity is needed. This takes time and so is not an immediate fix.
LOAD SHEDDING
This will continue, we will try to minimise changes to schedule but note that where critical emergencies arise, short notice amendments may be needed. MUL will do its best to minimise these. A new schedule will be issued shortly.
SUPPORT
We recognise this is a very difficult time for everyone, and it is hard to maintain fresh food. Buying little and often at the current time will help to manage this. We will be setting up a call centre for people to register if they need support. Further details will be issued once finalised.
The Ministry of Health will continue to offer advice on food safety and wellbeing.
The Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS) has increased its community policing and will do some house checks to ensure people are safe.
Please be assured that we continue to monitor and manage the situation closely and will issue an update tomorrow.