​By Abigayle McIntosh

The Antigua Public Utilities Authority’s Electricity Business Unit is requesting patience from the public as they work hard to restore services that were disrupted during tropical storm Philippe.

Power has already been restored to Barbuda, and 18 out of 28 feeders, or 65% of the distribution system, have been successfully restored on mainland Antigua. The restoration process will continue in other areas throughout the day on Wednesday.

Manager of the Electricity Business Unit, Andre Mathias, explained that the company took a different approach to restoration in Antigua.

Usually, all the electricity feeders are assessed before restoration begins. However, the damage from the storm wasn’t as severe, so they decided to assess and restore simultaneously.

Mathias also noted that the storm presented challenges in three different areas: rain, wind, and lightning.

“We have never seen lighting like this in Antigua before, I have not seen it for sure. Sometimes what you have with the wet conditions it is easier for the polls to lean and fall.

“Our system has been quite robust so we were able to stay up, the system only collapsed just after 1 a.m. Tuesday. The team ought to be commended for the work we have been doing to maintain the system,” the GM said.

According to the electricity company, they were aiming to finish the repair work by late Tuesday.

However, there were some challenges in certain areas like Liberta, where the damages were more severe.

The company assures that by Wednesday, the situation will be under control.