make it much easier for customers to report power loss.

And with forecasters promising a busy hurricane season, the change -- accessed by dialling 955 -- is sure to be welcomed by all residents.

"Belco now has up and running, an outage reporting system which allows customers to call in and automatically log in their information via a touchtone telephone,'' explained Customer Services manager, David Furtardo.

"Not only does it make the process more efficient for the customer, but it gives us the opportunity to see whether it's a major outage affecting great pockets of the Island, or a mill-of-the-run outage.'' Customers dealing 955 are greeted by an automated attendant asking that they enter their telephone number. The system then leads callers through a series of prompts to which they key in responses to describe the power failure.

According to Mr. Furtado, it offers customers two distinct advantages over the previous method.

1. Customers calling in to the new system will now have access to a greater number of lines to register their problems, allowing more reports to be taken at one time. The computer informs them immediately as to whether their call is the first to report their situation or if the outage in their area has already been reported in the system. Customers will now be more secure in knowing that their outage has been recorded and logged in the system.

2. BELCO dispatchers are able to group outage reports by transformers, which may serve between three and thirty homes depending on their size and location.

There is no need for the dispatchers to manually check all houses in one area for outages or to manually determine if a service crew has already been dispatched to each location. The computer system provides this information in one convenient location.

"Because all outage reports can be grouped together by transformer location, service dispatchers are able to co-ordinate repairs after a hurricane much more effectively than before. Service personnel can report immediately when they have completed repair work and update the system. Callers are kept up-to-date on the status of their area.

"The system is also very easy to use and will always allow customers to speak to an operator if necessary. Its benefits are that we don't necessarily have to have a live body behind the telephone and it helps us better organise the rest of the outages. It should speed our level of efficiency both by way of time and effort.'' In the event of a hurricane, other significant benefits are that the automated system can handle as much as three to four times the amount of calls the previous one could. Also, the system immediately informs the customer as to the status of their report, and sometimes will go so far as to inform them of the specific problem being experienced.

"It is important to note however, that in the first few hours after a hurricane, BELCO receives thousands of calls to report outages, far more than any system can handle. However this new system, combined with our emergency operators, will dramatically increase the number of calls we can handle and process. Also, there is no doubt as to whether their report was recorded into the dispatch system because they enter their report directly into the computer system.'' For the method to be totally successful however, it is important that the utility company has each client's home phone number -- both to access the system and in case BELCO needs to call to have the householder verify that all is well. So for those who do not have their correct telephone number listed on their BELCO statement, it is important that they correct it on their next payment slip or call 299-2800.

It is also important, before a hurricane strikes, that any trees on one's property be cut 6-feet away from power lines.

"The majority of problems when a hurricane hits are caused by overgrown trees coming in contact with wires,'' said BELCO's Corporate Communications manager, Linda Smith. "When tree branches become overgrown, heavy rains which occur during a Help us to serve you faster are not trimmed back. Even if on a good day, it looks as if your trees are clearing the wires, it's a good idea to have them cut back six feet to avoid problems.'' BELCO is willing to assist those persons who feel that their trees are actually touching the wires, she said, either by cutting them or turning off the electricity so that the householder or a landscaper can do so. "We usually don't get calls until a hurricane is bearing down on us. We need to hear from them now. This year it's really important because we've had so much rain and everything's overgrown. "In many cases its not the wind which has led to a loss of power, but the trees. The number one cause of power outages when a hurricane hits, is power lines being damaged or knocked down due to trees and tree limbs. There have been times in the past where crews have spent four hours doing nothing but tree-trimming, which takes away from restoration.

So after a hurricane, it is BELCO's policy, to first restore power to those areas with fewer trees interfering with the power lines.'' With complaints received of damaged electronic equipment as a result of storm activity, BELCO advises that such appliances be disconnected in the event of a hurricane.

According to marketing co-ordinator Greg Engel, "A month and a half ago when we had that series of thunderstorms, we received a lot of calls about damaged electrical equipment because of the storm. Our policy is that we do not repair or replace equipment if the damage is caused by Mother Nature.'' In the face of hurricane activity, Mr. Engel warned that there are only two proven methods of protecting such equipment. "Unplug and/or disconnect all electrical, telephone, modem and cable lines for all of your electrical appliances. In some cases this equipment can also be damaged when electricity returns after an outage, so ensure that all electronic devices remain unplugged. Leave one light on so that you will know when your power returns. "Use a tested and proven surge protection device on all of your sensitive electronic equipment.

The only effective surge protection devices have a let-through Voltage listed on them that should be in the range of 40 to 330 volts. This number is an indication of how much electricity a unit will let through to your equipment in the event of a major electrical spike. The lower this number, the better the protection the device provides. Always check to ensure that the device lists a UL let-through voltage and is not just UL or CSA approved. Many devices that have a UL or CSA approval as a surge protection device are simply glorified extension cords.'' Although there may be others, Mr. Engel advised that the following companies carry products which fall within the guidelines: BESCO, Island Satellite and Business Systems Ltd. The companies offer various pricing levels and warranties with BESCO and Island Satellite being the only companies carrying the North American manufacturers' warranty. PHOTO After a hurricane, overhanging trees only make power restoration a slow process HURRICANES SUPPLEMENT HUR