Frequently asked questions

A free, community-powered platform for reporting and tracking power outages, broken streetlights, low-voltage problems, and outage-related appliance damage across The Bahamas. Reports appear on a live public map, and areas with multiple reporters become verified outage clusters.

No. LightWatch242 is an independent community platform built by First Glance Bahamas. It is not affiliated with Bahamas Power and Light or any official utility provider. Reporting here does not replace contacting BPL — for emergencies like downed lines or electrical fires, call BPL at 302-1800 or 919 first.

When 3 or more different people report the same kind of issue (for power problems: outage, flickering, or low voltage all count together) in the same area within a few hours, the area is promoted to a verified cluster and pulses on the map. One person submitting many times still counts as one reporter, so clusters can't be faked.

Absolutely. The report form and WhatsApp flow cover all the islands, from Grand Bahama to Inagua. Even if you don't share your device location, your report is placed on the map at your island and area, and it can form a verified cluster just like in New Providence when neighbours confirm it.

Active reports stay while the issue is live and expire after about 12 hours unless the area is re-confirmed. Once something is marked resolved or restored, the marker stays visible for about 6 more hours (so neighbours can see the power is back), then it leaves the map and joins the historical record.

Never. Sharing device location is optional, and when you do, coordinates are rounded to roughly a 110-metre grid on your own device before they're sent. The public map shows approximate positions and area-level clusters only. See our Privacy page for the details.

Once our WhatsApp line launches, you'll simply message it and answer a few quick questions — which island, which area, what's happening — and your report goes straight to the live map. No app or account needed. Follow this page for the number announcement.

Report it here (choose "Appliance Damage") and keep everything: the appliance itself, receipts, photos, and any repair estimates. Do not discard damaged equipment before inspection. If a verified outage cluster exists for your area and time, your report is linked to it as supporting evidence. A guided claim-packet helper that follows BPL's own claims process is coming soon.

Moderators review flagged and suspicious activity and can hide false reports. Verification also protects the map automatically: a cluster only shows as verified when multiple different people confirm it, and submission rates are limited per person.

LightWatch242 is built and operated by First Glance Bahamas as part of a wider civic-tech effort. We publish what the community reports — verified, timestamped, and by area — and let the facts speak. Use the Contact page for questions or partnership ideas.