SCOTTSDALE, AZ, Jan. 17 /CNW/ - The Edison Electric Institute last week honored Cayman Islands-based Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. (CUC) with its Emergency Recovery Award for outstanding efforts to restore electricity in the wake of 2004's Hurricane Ivan, the most powerful storm to hit the island nation since 1932. EEI, the association of shareholder-owned electric utilities, presents its "Emergency Recovery" award to both U.S. and foreign-based member companies to recognize outstanding efforts in restoring electric service that has been disrupted by severe weather conditions or other natural events. Winners are chosen by a panel of judges following a national and international nomination process. Awards were presented during EEI's winter board meeting here Wednesday. Hurricane Ivan pummeled the Cayman Islands with hurricane force winds of 150 miles per hour (mph) and gusts of 200 mph for more than 10 hours on September 12, 2004, knocking out power to 100 percent of Grand Cayman's population and causing US$3.4 billion in damages in the process. Due to the nation's low-lying terrain, heavy winds, rain, and the accompanying storm surge washed over the Island, leaving major roadways virtually impassable. Further, as much of the technology infrastructure was heavily damaged, communications, either via traditional landline or cell service between different points of the country was extremely difficult. Compounding matters, roughly 50 percent of the vehicles on the Island were rendered unusable which made it difficult for residents to obtain supplies and seek assistance. Turning to the comprehensive hurricane recovery plan developed in the aftermath of Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, CUC quickly reached into its vast network of overseas utilities to procure technical support, labour and key material items such as transformers, poles, conductors and other hardware, going so far as to charter jetliners and ships to bring in equipment from Ecuador, Belize and the U.S. The company also kicked off an aggressive communications campaign to provide information on the restoration effort. Regular talk radio appearances by CUC's executive management gave customers access to accurate, up-to-the- minute information, and CUC employees even resorted to hand-delivering news releases to media and other stakeholders to ensure that residents and business owners were apprised of new developments. When all was said and done, CUC and contract employees replaced more than 140 miles of distribution and transmission lines, repaired or placed more than 10,000 utility poles, brought the island's generating facilities, all of which were damaged by Ivan, back online, and turned the lights back on to all customers who could take power, in under 90 days. EEI President Tom Kuhn praised the company's quick response to the hurricane, noting that CUC and contract employees often labored under treacherous conditions. "It is an honor to present this award to the men and women of Caribbean Utilities Company," he said. "This industry takes pride in its commitment to service, and their dedicated and swift action in the face of extreme adversity is a testament to that commitment." Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association of U. S. shareholder- owned electric companies, international affiliates and industry associates worldwide. Our U.S. members serve 97 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder owned segment of the industry, and 71 percent of all electric utility ultimate customers in the nation. They generate about 60 percent of the electricity produced in the United States. %SEDAR: 00002251E