Overseas line crews arrive as Jamaica prepares for TS Melissa

Fifty-nine linesmen from the United States and Canada arrived in Jamaica on Friday, boosting the Jamaica Public Service Company’s (JPS) ability to restore electricity should Tropical Storm Melissa make landfall and damage the power grid.

Their addition brings the total number of available specialists to roughly 650, including experts from Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and North America. All are trained to construct, maintain, and repair high-voltage electrical and telecom lines and will be deployed to affected areas once the storm passes, with Melissa expected to strengthen into a hurricane.

Most of the latest arrivals are employed by Sovereign Line Group in the United States. According to JPS, the workers are enthusiastic about contributing to the island’s storm response and understand the urgency of arriving ahead of any potential shutdown of airports or travel disruptions.

Many expressed that they were visiting Jamaica for the first time and were eager to assist residents in getting electricity restored quickly, even while hoping that damage remains minimal.

JPS executives say the deployment forms part of advance planning that began at the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. The strategy was influenced by delays experienced during Hurricane Beryl last year, when additional crews only arrived after the storm had passed.

The company’s operations team emphasized that having crews already on the island will help them move into affected communities as soon as conditions allow and speed up restoration efforts. Earlier this week, technicians from St. Vincent also arrived to support the operation.

Line workers play an essential role in disaster recovery, often operating in dangerous conditions to repair poles, transmission lines, and critical equipment needed to restore electricity to homes and businesses.

JPS says the crews are positioned and ready for rapid deployment once Melissa clears the region.