JPS says it met August 12 restoration timeline, but thousands still without power

By Racquel Porter    

 

The Jamaica Public Service Company says it has completed post-Hurricane Beryl restoration of electricity to the majority of its customers, except for some in St. Elizabeth and isolated areas of Westmoreland, Manchester and rural St. Andrew.

 

The JPS had been given until August 12 to restore power to all customers, except for parts of St. Elizabeth.

 

In a media release on Tuesday, JPS said it has met this deadline.

 

JPS said, of the company's 692,000 customers, approximately 682,000 now have supply.

 

But it admitted that there are a few isolated outages remaining, due to access challenges, including landslides, blocked roads, damaged bridges and dangerous terrain, which have delayed the restoration process.

 

The light and power company said it continues to work with local representatives and the National Works Agency to gain access to these areas.

 

In the meantime, the company noted that some customers in restored areas may still be experiencing outages due to unique circumstances, for example, where they were restored after Hurricane Beryl but have since lost supply, or where individual customers within communities are still without supply.

 

In these cases, JPS is asking the affected customers to make reports via the myJPS Mobile App or by calling its Customer Care Centre.

 

Customers are also urged to have a licensed electrician check their wiring, grounding, and potheads, to ensure their property is ready to safely receive supply. 

 

At the same time, Energy Minister Daryl Vaz is urging the JPS to provide a comprehensive report detailing the status of electricity restoration by community and parish across the island.

 

Responding to the power company's latest press release issued Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Vaz said it contradicts complaints he has been receiving from residents and members of Parliament:

 

He cited North West Manchester MP Mikael Phillips, who he said listed 11 communities in the constituency that are still without power. 

 

"So again, I'm imploring JPS to do a review and to make public what the situation is as of today, because their statement is in contrast to the reports coming in fast and furious. I hope that they are accurate, but we need to know definitively and we need to get the schedule from now going to the 31st [of August] as a matter of urgency," the minister demanded.