The Universal Service Fund (USF) is deploying Starlink satellite-based internet systems to provide immediate broadband coverage in key communities in western Jamaica. Energy, Transport and Telecommunications Minister, Hon. Daryl Vaz, said the USF’s seven public Wi-Fi hubs and 112 community Wi-Fi hotspots in the western region are down due to hurricane damage, power loss and internet service provider (ISP) disruption....

Electricity was restored to more than 52,000 Jamaica Public Service (JPS) customers over the 24-hour period up to Thursday morning (October 31). Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Minister, Hon. Daryl Vaz, who made the disclosure, said that 490,380 customers, representing 72 per cent of the JPS customer base remains without power. “Seventy per cent of the distribution network is de-energised with...

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), through its Ports Division, has been providing critical support to the island’s major airports and seaports as recovery efforts continue in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. Head of the JCF Ports Division, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Stephanie Lindsay, told JIS News that the police have been working closely with key partners at Norman Manley...

The Jamaica Medical Doctors Association (JMDA) and the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ), in coordination with the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), are urgently appealing for volunteer medical personnel to assist at the Black River Hospital in St. Elizabeth, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa. The call is for volunteer doctors who are willing to undertake 28 to 48-hour...

Several tourists, who were on the island during the passage of Hurricane Melissa, are expressing their appreciation for Jamaica’s warmth and hospitality during the period. The rare category-five system made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday (October 28), leaving a trail of destruction, with Montego Bay being among the hardest hit areas. Days before, as the island began to experience the...

With thousands of citizens still without electricity following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is urging persons to avoid the use of candles or other sources of open flame. “You have some candles that are battery powered; you can get those. But candles that give off naked flames, those can come into contact with material such...

The parish of St. Thomas is currently on the rebound, after being impacted by Hurricane Melissa earlier this week. Chief Engineering Officer at the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation, Odel Felix, told JIS News that all parochial roads suffered damages, in addition to there being landslides, fallen trees, and fallen utility poles. Currently, many residents are without electricity and water following...