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The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) is ramping up restoration efforts following Hurricane Melissa, announcing plans to return electricity to approximately 27,000 customers across Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Thomas, and St. Catherine by midnight Sunday, November 2. The update came during a press briefing at Jamaica House on Friday, where Energy, Transport and Telecommunications Minister Daryl Vaz outlined the government’s latest recovery projections.
According to Vaz, Kingston and St. Andrew are expected to reach 90% power restoration by Sunday, with St. Thomas following suit and St. Catherine projected to hit 75%. The announcement signals major progress for Jamaica’s urban and eastern corridors, where crews have been working around the clock to repair damaged lines and infrastructure battered by last week’s storm.
However, the national picture remains uneven. Several parishes—including Hanover, Manchester, St. Ann, St. Elizabeth, St. James, St. Mary, Trelawny, and Westmoreland—remain almost entirely without electricity, reporting outage levels as high as 99%. Vaz assured the public that these areas will not be left behind, promising continued oversight and transparency as assessments continue.
“You have my commitment… of continued work to ensure full restoration in the unaffected areas, and a comprehensive plan for the affected areas within the next few days after the assessments have been completed,” the minister said. His statement underscored the government’s push to balance urgent recovery needs with long-term infrastructure resilience.
As JPS and emergency teams race to stabilize the grid, many Jamaicans remain hopeful that full restoration is just days away—though for those in the hardest-hit western and central regions, the wait continues.
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