KINGSTON, Jamaica — As Hurricane Melissa lashes the island with Category 5 force, the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is engaged in a fierce operation to stabilize the national electricity supply amid widespread blackouts.
At the height of the storm’s onslaught, approximately 240,000 households—nearly one in every three JPS customers—were left without electricity. Parishes in the western and south-central regions have borne the brunt of the disruption, with St Elizabeth, Manchester, Hanover, and St James suffering outages affecting up to 75% of customers.
JPS CEO Hugh Grant, addressing the situation from the National Emergency Operations Centre in New Kingston, assured the public that teams are deployed across the island, working continuously to restore service wherever possible. “Our priority is safety, but restoration is already underway in less affected regions,” he stated.
Eastern and urban parishes, including St Thomas, Kingston & St Andrew, St Catherine, and St Ann, reported significantly lower outage rates, with fewer than 10% of customers impacted as of 8:00 AM.
In response to rampant misinformation, JPS clarified that there are no plans to shut down the national grid. Claims circulating on social media suggesting a full-island blackout have been dismissed as false.
Energy Minister Daryl Vaz supported the utility’s stance, emphasizing that power interruptions are directly tied to storm damage and not a coordinated shutdown. “High winds have damaged critical infrastructure including high-voltage substations and transmission lines. Restoration will depend entirely on weather conditions and crew safety,” he explained.
Minister Vaz further confirmed that all hospitals remain operational, though some in the hardest-hit parishes—Black River, Mandeville, and Percy Junior hospitals—are currently running on standby generators due to service interruptions.
The minister also reassured the public that JPS’s base generation capacity remains online, with enough energy supply to serve the island’s demand without relying on renewable inputs during the emergency.
As recovery operations intensify, JPS is urging the public to remain cautious, especially in areas with downed lines or damaged poles. Residents are reminded not to tamper with infrastructure and to report hazards using official channels.
With the full impact of Hurricane Melissa still unfolding, authorities stress that public cooperation, patience, and vigilance are critical to restoring normalcy as quickly and safely as possible.
