And while the security forces are prepared for the worst, BEL has already begun to prepare for this year's hurricane season, which starts in less than three weeks. They are currently rolling out their preparedness plan, which includes strengthening lampposts and trimming trees near power lines. This is so that minimal damage is done if a hurricane does hit Belize, and also to prevent power outages during the storm. The Manager of Distribution Operations at the Distribution Services Division told us more via Zoom:
Ashton Webster - Manager, Distribution Operations, BEL
"The plan is pretty much two folds, we have a hurricane restoration plan and then we have a hurricane preparedness plan. For our hurricane preparedness plan it's broken down into two sections, one of which is to establish our annual programs. One of our annual programs is the maintenance program, this is to reinforce power lines, those poles that you would see in your community with the conductors or the silver wires up in the air, those are what we maintain here at distribution services. So, we would do an exception program and it's an annual activity and our inspection program would then identify compromise or impaired structures that we need to replace urgently or we can schedule maintenance to carry out these works. Another part of an annual program is vegetation management. I would like to highlight that vegetation is one of the leading causes for outages here at BEL and we try to ensure that our customers understand that safety is our number one priority, so we communicate to our customers and we try to establish a certain rapport with our customers so that we can address what we call danger trees. Danger trees are trees that in close proximity to the power line but close is relative, so when we say close proximity we mean that in a hurricane force winds or even in a regular storm winds, these trees would become a hazard to our power lines, so we try to ensure that we cut these trees and address them before they become public hazards."
And if you've noticed any leaning lamp posts or your trees need trimming, you can contact BEL at their toll free line, 0800 BEL Care to get help.
BBS Celebrates Standards
Tomorrow, the Belize Bureau of Standards will join other organizations specializing in the science of measurement in the annual celebration of World Metrology Day.
The day is observed in commemoration of the Metro Convention, which was signed by representatives of 17 nations on May 20, 1875. That Convention set the framework for global collaboration in the science of measurement.
Now what does that have to do with the price of rice? Well, a whole lot, it turns out! When visiting your corner store, you probably don't think too much about it when the shop owner measures how many pounds of rice, beans, flour, or sugar you're buying. But, that is achieved by accurately measuring weight, which the Bureau of Standards must police. They are taken to ensure that the scale which the store owner is using is actually measuring your item accurately.
The Bureau of Standards hosted an extended media sensitization session, which we'll tell you all about tomorrow. But, for tonight, here's how Director Jose Trejo made the point that they need help from other allied government agencies to truly make an impact in consumer protection:
