AS tensions in the Middle East continue to drive up shipping costs and threaten global supply chains, Jamaica’s utility providers say they have been stockpiling critical equipment and investing more heavily in disaster preparedness in the lead-up to the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

They also emphasised that lessons from COVID-19 and other global disruptions have reinforced the need to prepare for the Atlantic Hurricane Season in an increasingly uncertain world.

Executives from Digicel, Flow Jamaica, Jamaica Public Service (JPS), and National Water Commission (NWC), speaking during a Jamaica Observer Press Club meeting last Thursday, said the challenges of preparing for hurricanes now extend far beyond weather forecasting, with conflicts overseas, supply chain bottlenecks, and rising transportation costs all influencing how they plan for emergencies.

For the chief executive officer of Digicel Stephen Murad, the strategy has been simple: Buy early and buy more.

“COVID taught us how to buy multiple years in advance, so all of the essential things we needed, we were buying years in advance. We’re just not taking any risks,” he said.

Murad explained that the approach emerged not only from the COVID-19 pandemic but also from more recent geopolitical shocks, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and ongoing tensions in Iran and the wider Middle East.

He said Digicel has been forced to rethink traditional procurement practices, committing more resources upfront and purchasing key items earlier than they ordinarily would to reduce the risk of supply chain disruptions.

Flow Jamaica Vice-President and General Manager Stephen Price said utility companies now operate in an environment in which uncertainty has become the norm.

“I think from our perspective from COVID we established that we live in a frugal world — volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity — and we’ve had to tiptoe through the raindrops and make sure that we plan with that in mind, knowing that anything can happen at any point of time,” he said.

According to Price, the financial impact of global instability is already being felt throughout the sector.

“We have to buy ahead, we have to discuss the various things that Stephen [Murad] said in terms of supply chain, but I’m saying at this present point in time it is a significant expense because…just the cost of shipping and moving goods…I mean I’m telling you that we are seeing 100 per cent increase in some shipping costs and 100 per cent increase in some of the cost of products,” added Price.

The concerns come as Jamaica prepares for another Atlantic hurricane season less than a year after Hurricane Melissa caused widespread damage across parts of the island on October 28 2025, placing enormous pressure on critical infrastructure providers.

At the NWC, Corporate Public Relations Manager Delano Williams said preparations have included increasing inventories of generators, pumps, and pipes, while also securing agreements with water trucking operators before emergencies arise.

“One of the things I think we also have had to look at in a very close way is a little bit more low-level, such as the partnerships with our truckers and having to cement those ahead of time, because even those rates change astronomically once you have a deficit in water supply,” he said.

JPS Chief Operating Officer Lance Becca said the company has also expanded partnerships with utilities and suppliers overseas to ensure critical materials can be sourced quickly after major disasters.

“I would say that something that we have learned is the diversification of our portfolio, right, so some of the affiliation that we have with some of the other key members in the industry throughout the world we are making sort of that partnership. One of the things that happened with Melissa is that we were able to pull supplies from other utilities,” said Becca.

Collectively, the utility providers argued that hurricane preparedness can no longer be viewed solely through a local lens.

Instead, they say events unfolding thousands of miles away now have the potential to affect how quickly supplies arrive, how much equipment costs, and ultimately how effectively Jamaica can respond after disaster strikes.

Flow Jamaica Vice-President and General Manager Stephen Price making a point during a meeting of the Jamaica Observer Press Club last Thursday.

NWC Corporate Public Relations Manager Delano Williams giving details of the company’s preparation for the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season during a Jamaica Observer Press Club last Thursday.

JPS Chief Operating Officer Lance Becca told the Jamaica Observer Press Club that the company has also expanded partnerships with utilities and suppliers overseas to ensure critical materials can be sourced quickly after major disasters.