Attorney General Larry Mussenden has encouraged Government to build its own emergency electricity facility in order to carry on essential functions during a blackout, MPs were told yesterday.

Speaking in the House of Assembly, Minister of Telecommunications and E-Commerce Michael Scott said Government needed to review its public sector disaster recovery and business continuity plans.

He added Mr. Mussenden had urged Government to take under review Government's capability and need for emergency generation power and a "dedicated facility to permit the Government to carry out government's business critical services and actions in the face of an emergency of any kind".

The Bermuda Bar and international insurance and banking sectors were also reviewing their emergency response plans, said Mr. Scott.

At 6 a.m. last Thursday, all Government computer systems were shut down, he said.

The team who write the weekly payroll cheques were moved to Southside.

And the Bermuda Police website hosted by Quo Vadis was the first source of updates regarding the emergency on the Internet. It remained online throughout the emergency, Mr. Scott said.

Premier Alex Scott said the morning of the giant fire and the succeeding blackout would be "one of those days that will be long remembered by Bermudians".

"It also serves as an example of why it is so important for us to develop an action plan for the Sustainable Development of Bermuda," Mr. Scott said.

He said unlike "many armchair critics" who were criticising Belco, Government supported Belco for its outstanding efforts in the face of adversity.

"Theirs is a testament to the expertise, experience and resilience of Bermudians in the midst of a crisis," he said.

The Premier said Belco CEO Garry Madeiros called him with good and bad news,at 4.45 a.m. last Thursday. The good news was that no one was hurt, he said, but the bad news was that Bermuda would be without power for the best part of a day.

At 5 a.m. Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Randy Horton telephoned the Premier saying a meeting of the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO) would be at 6.30 a.m.

Mr. Horton, along with the Commissioner of Police, acts as chairman of the EMO.

Mr. Scott said the decision to close Government offices was not taken lightly.

"We recognise the impact such decisions have on the business community, but we were cognisant of the fact that if we attempted to operate business as usual, there was the potential for confusion and in that confusion we could possibly thwart Belco's attempts to rectify the situation," Mr. Scott said.

The Premier telephoned Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons at 10 a.m. on Friday, the day after the blackout, to show Government had open lines of communication in times of "national crisis".

"The situation could have been so much worse," Mr. Scott said. "Mr. Speaker, I commend the management and staff of the Bermuda Electric Light Company for their efforts over the last few days. Can you imagine the thoughts that went through the minds as they arrived at their plant on Thursday morning?"

Mr. Scott commended the Bermuda Fire Service members for their "heroic efforts" to battle a fire "described as the worst in our history".

"Had they not been able to contain that blaze, who knows what the outcome would have been?" he asked.

"A fire which produced incredible heat and could have been so much worse was managed and controlled without loss of life or injury."

He also thanked the Bermuda Police Service and Reserve Police Constabulary for being the lead service in the co-ordination of our emergency response.

"The men and women of the Police Service and Reserves were out in force and ensured that law and good order was maintained through the difficult period of Thursday in particular," he said.

He added "Bermuda works best when we work together" and thanked the public for their patience and understanding.

Mr. Horton reported that the EMO "functioned superbly in the wake of the Belco disaster".

He said he and the Premier visited on Thursday one of the Island's major hotels during the power outage.

"We were greatly impressed by the positive attitudes demonstrated by all concerned, visitors and workers alike, all facing the inconvenience of the power outage with seeming good humour and optimism," he said.

But he said big business must be able to power themselves during a blackout.

"Too much is lost by both local and international businesses when the City of Hamilton is forced to cease operation unexpectedly and for a protracted period," Mr. Horton said.