FALMOUTH, Trelawny — The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has acknowledged public concern about unsightly cables still dangling from utility poles in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, but said the company’s immediate priority remains restoring electricity to customers.

According to JPS’ Director of Corporate Communications Winsome Callum, the removal of loose and damaged wires is part of a structured, phased restoration plan, with clean-up efforts set to intensify after power is fully restored to affected communities.

“They will definitely be removed during the second wave. This is not something that’s going to be left permanently. You do appreciate that right now our priority is to get the light on for our customers — and the restoration work is not done when the light is turned on. While we focus all the resources on getting the lights back on, a part of the restoration is the second wave where we come through and do the clean-up, so it’s part of the plan,” Callum assured last week when contacted by the
Jamaica Observer.

She emphasised that while hanging cables may appear untidy, safety remains the company’s foremost concern during the restoration exercise.

“Yes, it is unsightly. The priority, though, is to make sure it is safe while we continue with the restoration. So we ensure they’re de-energised and, where possible, we move them out of the way. Then we put the lights on for you and your neighbours, and then we come back and clean up the space,” she further explained.

Some of the wires hanging from light poles in sections of the country that were hammered by the Category 5 storm last October are not part of JPS infrastructure.

“JPS has joint pole agreements with other service providers who would need permission to make attachments to its poles,” Callum explained, adding that JPS is not allowed to remove wires that do not belong to it without coordination with other providers.

“We are not authorised to remove the wires of our partner utilities; we work together, we work collaboratively. We will communicate with them when we are going into a particular area, they communicate with us and, as much as possible, we coordinate the removal of the wires from the poles,” she said.

The Observer was unsuccessful in efforts to secure a response from larger cable companies but a community cable operator in western Jamaica, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said smaller providers were instructed to remove their cables from JPS poles in areas slated for clean-up following the storm.

According to the operator, JPS issued clear timelines indicating when teams would enter specific communities, warning that any cables left unsecured or hanging would be cut and removed as part of the company’s oversight of the poles. He said operators were advised to secure or dismantle their infrastructure ahead of scheduled works, to avoid losing equipment.

The operator indicated that smaller companies complied with the directive and removed their lines, in some cases running new wires after the clean-up was completed. He suggested that in areas where cables remain hanging, they are likely associated with larger providers.

Falmouth, Trelawny, has its fair share of JPS poles with loose, dangling wires. (Photo: Horace Hines)