Bermuda Assures the World It’s Open for Business
Authorities in Bermuda have issued a bulletin assuring the rest of the world that the island’s insurance and financial enterprises remain open for business, despite extensive damages caused by the passage of Hurricane Fabian.
Preliminary estimates have put losses at around $350 million, but the bulletin asserted that business interruption was minimal. It noted that “despite the battering which Bermuda sustained during the onslaught of Hurricane Fabian the majority of businesses, both local and international, were able to keep in touch with their partners off Island and to transact important business. Whether it was insurance companies dealing with clients overseas or international companies that have their e-business operations hosted in Bermuda, the excellent telecommunications infrastructure – which we have boasted about before – proved resilient.”
Renee Webb JP MP, Minister for Tourism, Telecommunications and E Commerce, stated: “I am delighted that Bermuda maintained in excellent communication with the outside world during the battering we took on Friday as a result of Hurricane Fabian. Despite prolonged periods of winds peaking at 155 mph all of our main communication facilities remained operational and our e-business hosting facilities fully functional. Although there were naturally some local problems with domestic phone service, all of the main Internet Service Providers also maintained connectivity, which is a tribute to their planning and technical capability.
“This was very important as Bermuda, in seeking to be a leading e-business jurisdiction, clearly had to demonstrate that we can provide excellent hosting and Internet services whatever the elements may throw at us. I would, on behalf of the Government, like to thank our excellent businesses, and their employees, for their dedication in showing the international community the capability, resilience and sophistication of our e-business infrastructure, and why we our a natural choice for e-business.”