Inevitably, electricity provider Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has been in the spotlight since Hurricane Melissa’s devastating march through western Jamaica in late October 2025.

As everyone knows, such was the effect of the Category 5 storm that, three months later, thousands of people are still without light and power.

Thankfully, JPS was far more prepared for this emergency than it was for Hurricane Beryl, which sideswiped Jamaica’s southern coastline in July 2024. Otherwise, the situation would’ve been even more calamitous than is now the case.

The presence of skilled overseas workers to complement local staff has obviously helped. As has considerable resource allocation — including a hefty loan from the Jamaican Government — to deal with electricity restoration.

We note that JPS has so far been able to reconnect some devastated communities close to — and in the case of Darliston — perhaps even at the eye of the storm after it came ashore in eastern Westmoreland on October 28.

Unsurprisingly, then, many JPS customers much farther away from the path Melissa took are wondering why they were still without electricity up to late this week. Prime examples include residents of communities in and around the populous, bustling Santa Cruz area, as well as numerous villages and districts in the Santa Cruz Mountains of St Elizabeth, including Malvern and Potsdam.

Hampton Girls and Bethlehem Teachers’ College — both in Malvern — were among educational institutions still without service up to the middle of this week. We have no doubt there are very good reasons for all of the above. We are aware, for instance, that the very important Maggotty power station in north-western St Elizabeth was severely damaged by Melissa, which made electricity restoration very, very difficult.

It seems to us, though, that more could’ve been done to inform bill-paying customers of the hard truths which resulted in delays and so forth. Let’s all remember that those bill-paying customers were very well-placed to understand the degree of difficulty. After all, they lived through the most horrific hurricane in Jamaica’s recorded history.

Regular face-to-face community meetings as well as messaging — without sugar-coating — through formal and informal media would’ve been a big help in our view. In that regard, we are pleased at what appears to have been frank, open discussions between JPS President and CEO Mr Hugh Grant and Parliament’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) this week.

Mr Grant confirmed persistent reports circulating of scumbags soliciting money from customers for post-hurricane electricity restoration. One person has been arrested as a result of the illegal activity, he told parliamentarians. Such behaviour is not new and should come as no surprise to anyone. Ginnalship/Anancyism is commonplace. It’s a reminder to all — not just JPS — of the need to always be on guard.

Finally, we appreciate Mr Grant’s frank assessment that a widespread underground system to deliver electricity is unrealistic at this time. The cost would be “north of 15 times an overhead system”, he told the PAAC. Instead, Mr Grant says, he is recommending “selective undergrounding” for critical areas and facilities.

We wait to hear more. What is beyond debate is that Jamaica has to find ways to better handle catastrophic episodes such as Hurricane Melissa
which, we know, are up ahead.