THE Jamaica Public Service (JPS) said yesterday that it will take several more days to get power to customers who are still without electricity following the passage of Hurricane Sandy. These customers, it said, are mostly in the parishes of Portland, St Thomas, St Mary, and St Andrew — the parishes worse affected by the hurricane.

"We have just under 60,000 customers who are still without power this afternoon," says Kelly Tomblin, JPS president & CEO. "We are gradually bringing these customers back onto the grid, but it will take a few more days. The fact is, we are in the most difficult phase of the restoration process. We are redeploying resources to the communities where damage is greatest, and progress is slow because it is difficult working in the post-hurricane conditions. Our focus is also on getting power to the multiple pockets of customers who are without service although the main power lines in their communities have already been energised," she said.

80 per cent of water systems back

THE National Water Commission (NWC) said it has been able to restore several more water supply systems into operation over the weekend, bringing to 80 per cent the number of plants back into operation.

According to the NWC, the systems now in operation have either received public power supply, being operated by standby generators or are being operated using gravity flow operations.

NWA reopens majority of roadways made impassable

THE National Works Agency (NWA) reported yesterday that more than 95 per cent of the 176 roadways across the island made impassable by the passage of Hurricane Sandy have been reopened to at least single-lane traffic.

"The remaining five per cent or nine roadways are still impassable. Of this number, six are located in St Thomas. These are White Hall to Hillside, Hall Head to Morant River Bridge, Coley to Low Mountain, Yallahs to Petersfield, and Hall Head to Negro River/White Ford to Mahogany Vale, where the rivers are still in spate at both locations and the roadway is inundated.

98% of health facilities fully operational

NINETY-EIGHT per cent of the island's health facilities are now fully operational following disruption in some services in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the health ministry said yesterday.

Dr Marion Bullock-Ducasse, director of emergency management, disaster preparedness and special services in the Ministry of Health, reported that 24 of the 25 hospitals and 304 of the 307 health centres have resumed full service delivery.

The Annotto Bay Hospital is the only hospital that is currently offering emergency services only, due to severe roof damage sustained during the hurricane.