Minister Vaz Commends Utility Providers’ State of Preparedness as Hurricane Melissa Nears

Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, has expressed strong satisfaction with the preparedness demonstrated by the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) and the island’s telecommunications providers, as the country braces for the potential impact of Hurricane Melissa, now classified as a powerful Category Four cyclone.

Speaking during Sunday’s (October 26) joint virtual utility media briefing, Minister Vaz noted that lessons learnt from Hurricane Beryl’s passage last year have informed more effective planning and strengthened partnerships among critical service providers.

“I am satisfied with what has been presented to me and the country. I think that there have been a lot of lessons that have been learnt from Beryl and the continuous dialogue that has taken place since Beryl, for us to have a response to the [anticipated] crisis,” he said.

Mr Vaz further commended the proactive contingency frameworks established by each utility and telecommunications entity.

“I am happy with the plans that have been outlined, especially with the contingency plans to bring equipment and personnel into Jamaica as quickly as possible, because there is no doubt that that is going to be required, based on the projections,” he stated.

Mr. Vaz emphasised that while robust planning is essential, the true measure of preparedness lies in the effectiveness of execution.

‘I want Jamaica to understand that the level of damage is possibly going to be much worse than Beryl. The plan is all well and good. [But] it is the execution of the plan after the event that is going to be critical,” he said.

“Everything on paper is always easy to write and speak about. But it is the execution which is going to require collaboration and coordination, and that is not only from the government’s standpoint, but the providers,” Mr. Vaz added.

Meanwhile, he issued a stern warning against theft and vandalism of critical infrastructure, emphasising that such actions pose serious risks to national recovery efforts.

“Everybody in every community must look out for their brothers and sisters. Most importantly, they must look out for those who want to set us back by greed or whatever other reason, by interfering with government property or the telecoms’ or JPS’ property. The 20 gallons of diesel that they steal, for whatever reason, is 20 gallons less that [would have been] used for you in your community to provide cellular service [and] electricity. Without electricity, the water pumps are not going to be energised,” Minister Vaz emphasised.

Members of the public are urged to immediately contact the police if they witness any acts of theft or vandalism targeting critical infrastructure.