KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Energy and Telecommunications Daryl Vaz provided a comprehensive update on the country’s electricity restoration efforts on Thursday, revealing that more than 490,000 customers remain without power following Hurricane Melissa’s devastation.

Vaz reported that 70 per cent of transmission lines are currently out of service, with 52,000 customers restored so far. This means approximately 490,380 customers, or 72 per cent of the customer base, are still without electricity.

He noted that 70 per cent of the distribution network remains de-energised, with only sections of Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine, and St Thomas currently receiving power.

“I just got a report that the entire parish of St Thomas is suffering from low voltage. So I asked JPS (the Jamaica Public Service Company) to look into that immediately,” he said. “The highlights, if you can call it that, [are that] eight major hospitals have had power restored, including all major hospitals in Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine, and Spanish Town.”

Restoration work is ongoing for 13 major health clinics across the island.

The minister also shared a detailed breakdown of restoration progress across the parishes:

— Clarendon: 51,000 customers, all without power;

— Portmore: 52,000 customers, 31,000 without light;

— Hanover: 16,466 customers without light;

— Kingston and St Andrew North: 96,000 customers, 25,000 without light;

— Kingston and St Andrew South: 60,091 customers, only 3,946 have light;

— Portland: 23,000 customers, 19,000 without light;

— St Elizabeth: 45,000 customers, all without light;

— St James: 62,000 customers, 61,000 without light;

— St Mary: 30,000 customers, 29,000 without light;

— St Thomas: 20,000 with power, 4,657 without;

— Trelawny: 20,712 customers, all without power;

— Westmoreland: 34,000 customers, all without power;

— St Ann: 46,000 customers, all without light; and

— St Catherine: 86,000 customers; 50,000 without light.

Up to Wednesday, a total of 542,000 customers were without electricity. Over the past 24 hours, 52,000 customers have been reconnected, bringing the current figure to roughly 490,000 still without power.

In transportation updates, Vaz said the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) deployed 175 buses across the metropolitan areas of Portmore, Kingston and Spanish Town on Thursday.

He noted that these buses will remain on their regular routes, while rural services have been suspended until roads become accessible.