FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2025

Bahamas Power and Light Company Ltd. (BPL) confirms that power restoration efforts are successfully underway following a severe weather system that impacted eastern New Providence around 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 12. Restoration efforts officially began at 10:30 p.m. that same evening, with crews working through the night and into the following day.

As of 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 13, restoration continued in several areas, including pockets of Blair Estates, High Vista, parts of Nassau East, Bay Lily Drive, Bayberry Drive, Madeira Street, and Rosetta Street in Palmdale. Initial assessments indicate nearly 1,000 customers were affected, and BPL expects to restore service to the majority of impacted customers by the end of the day.

“As we are all aware, a severe weather system passed over New Providence overnight. The impact began around 9 p.m. yesterday, with reports of lightning strikes and storm damage primarily in the eastern areas of the island,” said Anthony Christie, Chief Operating Officer at BPL.

“Our teams responded immediately, assessing the situation and beginning restoration at approximately 10:30 p.m. A subsequent tornado in the areas of Fox Hill and Joe Farrington Road further complicated restoration efforts.”

As of 3:00 p.m., approximately:

• 500 customers remained without power in the Imperial Park and Sea Breeze Lane areas,
• 175 customers were affected near Fox Hill Road South,
• 40 customers were impacted in Blair Addition.

Minister of Energy and Transport, Hon. JoBeth Coleby-Davis, commended the BPL and BGC response teams: “This was a major event with extensive damage, including downed power lines. I want to thank the CEO, COO and the entire team for their swift response. BGC is also on the ground, helping us move quickly toward full reconnection.”

“We have an Energy Committee that includes representatives from the Ministry of Energy and BPL. We meet every Monday, and this coming Monday, we expect a full assessment report to help coordinate ongoing recovery efforts.”

The Bahamas Department of Meteorology has confirmed that the extreme weather was most consistent with a microburst—a sudden, powerful downdraft from a thunderstorm, capable of causing damage similar to a tornado.

The initial outage report was issued at 9:19 p.m. on September 12. Emergency crews were immediately dispatched, and by 10:30 p.m., the following areas were confirmed offline:

• A portion of Eastern Road
• Mt. Vernon
• Blair Estates
• Fox Hill Road South (partial)
• Lumumba Lane
• St. Andrews Estates
• Johnson Road
• Pineyard Road
• Domingo Heights
• Retirement Road
• Sea Breeze
• Imperial Park

BPL promptly informed customers through all official social media channels about the nature and extent of the outage.

BPL extends its sincere apologies to all affected customers and reaffirms its commitment to transparency, including the continued release of updates and visual reports to convey the scale of the damage. Our emergency response teams remain fully mobilized, working throughout the second day to ensure safe and timely restoration.

We publicly recognize and thank the dedicated men and women of BPL, whose selfless and unwavering efforts—especially under challenging conditions—are instrumental in achieving our restoration targets.

For public safety and to ensure smooth operations, motorists are asked to avoid Fox Hill Road South to reduce traffic congestion and allow field crews to continue their work without delays.