KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government has activated an emergency deployment of Starlink satellite internet units to immediately address the severe communication and financial disruptions caused by Hurricane Melissa, particularly in western Jamaica.

In a push to restore essential services, Telecommunications Minister Daryl Vaz over the weekend confirmed that 600 Starlink units were scheduled to arrive on the island and will be pooled with other charitable donations for prioritised distribution.

Among the priorities, Vaz said was ensuring that the financial sector can function and people can access money using ATM in affected areas.

“The ATMs, there are none of them working in western Jamaica because of technology and lack of power. Therefore, the first priority would be to power up some of those ATMs so persons can get access to money. Without money nothing happens and therefore they need to be able to have money whether to buy gas or to buy food or whatever it is,” the minister said in a video posted to his social media pages.

He said Starlink units would also be deployed to police stations, government ministries and agencies that have responsibility in relief efforts and other essential services.

He noted that he also met with the Starlink USA disaster response head and will be using the company’s “expertise in disaster recovery to advise us where are the essential services that need to be prioritised”.

Likewise, the medical relief organisation, Medic Corps, is also using Starlink technology to restore communications at damaged hospitals.

Vaz stressed the urgency of the initiative, noting the need to “build out the technological requirements to assist the suffering people”.