The skies over south-western Jamaica have been humming with activity over the last seven days as relief supplies are being flown to the parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa on an almost constant basis.

Members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), in collaboration with their counterparts in the United States Army, have flown more than 300 hours to the affected areas in the last week.

They have combined to deliver more than 20,000 relief packages, according to co-chair of the Recovery and Oversight Committee Daryl Vaz. He made the disclosure while addressing a Jamaica House media briefing on Thursday.

“This equates to over 100 drops over the last seven days and that does not include the other 15 helicopter assets that are being used by international charity organisations. That’s just specific to the six [helicopters] from the US military and those of [the JDF],” Vaz said.

He said the 20,000 packages speak to the level of efficiency being displayed by the government apparatus. He also explained that each package is designed to last a household for seven days. “So it’s a lot of logistics and planning to make sure that when we drop, that family or recipient has food for seven days.”

Meanwhile, Vaz told the media briefing that the fuel supply network is stabilising quickly, with full service resumed at West Indies Petroleum since October 27.

“Most gas stations are opening back in the west and I’m happy to say, for those areas that are still not getting the regular service from the petrol stations, on Monday we have 10 mobile fuel stations that will go out to specific areas…that will be able to set up and operate on generators,” said Vaz who is also the minister of energy and transport.

These mobile stations, he said, will also sell kerosene which “is very important at this time”. He said based on the information he is receiving, most petrol stations are reopening and have made arrangements to be able to supply, especially in the hardest-hit areas. He also said arrangements are being made for police escorts to navigate the traffic and for security reasons as the mobile stations are rolled out.

As it relates to the road network, Vaz said key access has been restored to corridors connecting Ocho Rios to Port Antonio; Morant Bay to Kingston; Mandeville to Black River and through to Negril, onwards to Montego Bay.

“This progress has been vital in enabling supplies, relief items, [and] essential workers to reach affected communities,” he noted. He said some interior roads in Westmoreland, St James, and St Elizabeth are still limited to single-lane traffic due to fallen trees and flooding. To further alleviate the problem, National Works Agency crews are prioritising full two-lane clearance for key roads connecting rural communities to Montego Bay, St James, and Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland.

Meanwhile, President and CEO of Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Hugh Grant painted a picture of progress being made but of major obstacles faced by the utility company based on the level of damage done to its grid network.

On the bright side, Grant noted that 23 per cent of customers had power in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, with that figure now standing at just over 55 per cent or more than 380,000 customers.

“We have been prioritising our restoration around key areas, particularly areas that have critical customers, and that has been a coordinated effort with key partners,” he explained.

According to Grant, JPS was making progress in St Mary and St Ann and had restored power to more than 60 per cent of Portland, more than 65 per cent of Clarendon, and more than 40 per cent of Manchester. He told the media briefing that the expectation is to have greater restoration in these parishes in the coming weeks.

However, the news is dark for customers in Trelawny, Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, and Hanover, with those parishes remaining without power.

The JPS president said the light and power company recognises that St James is a major economic centre and, as such, is working around the clock to restore power there. “We continue to work through plans to facilitate safe and timely restoration of St James and, in particular, Montego Bay,” he said.

Grant also shared that an additional 100 linemen are on their way to Jamaica to help with the restoration effort. This will bring to more than 230 the number of linemen from overseas who are part of the JPS team.