Barbados Power crew heads to Jamaica to restore electricity after Hurricane Melissa

(From left) Mustafa Haqq, lineman II; Patrice Vache, lineman A; Edward Cummings, distribution supervisor; Kurt Vidal, lineman A; and Omar Bowen, lineman II. (GP)

In a strong demonstration of Caribbean solidarity, the Barbados Light & Power Company Ltd (Light & Power) has deployed a skilled crew to assist the Jamaica Power Service Company Ltd (JPS) in restoring electricity to communities affected by Hurricane Melissa.

Through the CARILEC Disaster Assistance Program (CDAP), a five-member team, led by Distribution Supervisor Eddie Cummings and linemen Omar Bowen, Mustafa Haqq, Patrice Vache, and Kurt Vidal, departed Barbados on November 12. Over the next three weeks, the crew will support local teams in St. James, one of the parishes hardest hit by widespread power outages.

At a send-off event, Light & Power Managing Director Roger Blackman and Vice President of Operations Johann Greaves praised the volunteers for their commitment and underscored the importance of safety in challenging working conditions.

“On behalf of Light & Power and CARILEC – because I am also a director on that board – I want to extend appreciation to all of you for volunteering to assist our brothers and sisters in a neighbouring Caribbean island,” Blackman said. “Please be safe, and I am confident that you will do what is required from a safety perspective because it can get challenging in environments of this nature.”

Greaves added: “I am confident that you will go to Jamaica and make the company and the country proud. Remember your training, and all the safety procedures that you go through normally – not only for yourselves, but for all the other people that you will be working around.”

The deployment highlights the importance of regional cooperation during natural disasters. CARILEC, the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation, coordinates such efforts by pooling resources and expertise to restore power quickly and safely, rebuild stronger infrastructure, and provide critical support when communities need it most.