Belco crews stepped down at 5pm but standby teams will be on call for emergencies from now until Hurricane Gonzalo has passed the Island, the power company said this evening.

Personnel will be located in the East End to handle emergencies there should the causeway be damaged.

Damage assessment will be done after the hurricane has passed as restoration work will begin as soon as possible.

Belco said crews have been working on jobs to make safe poles and other equipment in the field, so that these items do not pose hazards during the hurricane.

Two crews will be on standby tonight and during the hurricane for emergency response only. Belco will not be restoring power in the hours leading up to and during the storm, given the extent of work already required to complete restoration after TS Fay, and given the extent of damage expected from Hurricane Gonzalo.

After the storm passes, Belco will do an Island-wide assessment, then begin the next restoration plan. Restoration will take place in order to restore power to the largest numbers of customers: main circuits, then large branch lines, small branch lines and individual customers.

Meanwhile, Belco urges people to stay off the roads so clearing work can be carried out, and to stay away from downed power lines and debris that may be covering them.

Residents should avoid transformers — all should be considered live and dangerous.

Do not call 955 to report outages until instruction is given. But do call with emergencies, such as live, downed lines.

For fires such as pole or transformer fires, call 911.

Unplug sensitive electronic equipment before power goes out and certainly if you lose power or have partial power.

Do not use propane grills or lamps indoors and turn off propane valves before the storm strikes. Keep all propane equipment well ventilated.