Regional utilities aid Jamaica’s power restoration after Hurricane Melissa
The Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) has activated its Disaster Assistance Programme to help restore electricity across Jamaica following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
The Category 5 storm struck on 28 October, leaving more than 70% of the island without power.
The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) says 64% of customers have since been reconnected, including most major hospitals and key communication sites.
Seventeen regional utilities and two private contractors are now assisting under the CARILEC programme. More than 130 lineworkers have already arrived in Jamaica, with additional teams expected in the coming days.
Participating utilities include companies from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago, and others.
The regional effort is being coordinated with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
CARILEC Executive Director Dr Cletus Bertin thanked participating members, saying the programme “reflects the strength of regional cooperation and mutual assistance”.
Established in 1998, CARILEC’s Disaster Assistance Programme enables rapid deployment of crews and equipment to help restore power after hurricanes and other natural disasters across the Caribbean.
