KINGSTON, Jamaica — Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), Hugh Grant, says electricity has been restored to 94 per cent of its customers following Hurricane Melissa.

Grant made the announcement during the official launch of the JPS emergency mobile power generation unit in Westmoreland on Sunday.

“That means that less than 38,000 of our near 700,000 customers remain without supply. It also means that we have restored more than 500,000 of the 540,000 customers that were without supply after the hurricane,” Grant said.

According to the CEO, eastern and central parishes have now been normalised with more than 99 per cent of customers with electricity. Additionally, Grant said more than 95 per cent of customers in Hanover and Trelawny now have electricity.

“More than 90 per cent of customers in St James now have supply. In Westmoreland, more than 60 per cent of customers now have supply and more than 60 per cent in St Elizabeth also now have supply,” Grant added.

He noted that while JPS has made great progress, the company will not be complacent and will keep moving forward in the last mile phase of restoration.

Grant committed that by the end of January, 96 per cent of its customer base will be restored.

Category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall on the island on October 28 causing severe damage to infrastructure, homes and businesses. Western parishes such as St Elizabeth, Hanover and Westmoreland were among the hardest hit by the storm.