Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC), a Liberty Caribbean company, accelerated its disaster protocols as it prepares for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, which is taking aim at some of the Family Islands in The Bahamas.
Catastrophic, category five Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica early Tuesday morning, leaving indescribable destruction and devastation in its wake. Currently projected to downgrade to a category two storm, Melissa is expected to impact around 11 major islands of the archipelago from as far north as Long Island to as far south as San Salvador.
The effects of the storm are expected to be felt as early as 8 pm Wednesday. “Our main priority is the safety of our employees. Firstly, we’ve provided evacuation efforts getting our people directly out of harm’s way,” said BTC’s CEO Sameer Bhatti. “We’re also providing our customers with storm-ready offers giving them the ability to keep connected,” he added
Ahead of the storm’s approach, the company has completed its technical and extensive pre-storm preparation that includes equipment fortification and the deployment of back-up power sources to minimize potential disruptions. In anticipation of moderate impact to its infrastructure, it implemented safety measures to address service-affecting events such as commercial power outages, flooding, and even physical damage to towers and facilities because of the storm’s impact.
“Our commitment to keeping the people of The Bahamas safe and connected is foremost on our mind,’ said Inge Smidts, CEO Liberty Caribbean, “We’re on standby to support the people of The Bahamas in every way possible, whether through delivering innovative emergency communication access or humanitarian relief through our Liberty Caribbean Foundation,” she concluded.
BTC has also set up an emergency hurricane hotline for customers in the affected islands and is encouraging customers to reach out to 242-225-5722 for further assistance.
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