TTEC poles under high seas in Cedros

On Monday, an electricity pole collapsed on the Perseverance Estate Beach causing several electricity lines to snap at Fullerton Village, from Cedros, to Icacos. The incident plunged villagers in both areas into darkness.

Electricity was restored to the areas yesterday.

While life has returned to normal, however, residents have been prompted into action in a bid to have the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (TTEC) remove electrical poles from along the coastline. On Monday, when unusually rough seas and high tides flooded parts of the Cedros coastline, a number of TTEC poles were displaced.

TTEC yesterday stated in a release that at 6 pm on Monday, high swells along the Cedros coast washed away the sand causing electricity poles to lean towards the shore.

The release also stated that in the process, electricity lines clashed, causing a disruption in the supply of electricity to Fullerton Village, Perseverance and Icacos. The commission noted that while crews immediately responded, high sea levels along the coast made it impossible for TTEC crewmen to reach the poles.

When Newsday visited the area yesterday, a wooden pole which had fallen was buried in the sand on the Perseverance Estate Beach. Newsday was told that electrical lines which were lying in the sea were eventually removed by TTEC. The residents told Newsday that a similar situation occurred last year, leaving residents in the dark for two days.

Bhagwath Gidharie, of Fullerton Village, said, "The sea is taking back the land. Every day the sea continues to erode the shore." Gidharie, who jogs along the beach every day, said that while jogging along the beach last year, he saw an electrical pole lying in the sea, and the wires were on fire.