Hurricane Beryl: CARICOM countries to aid Jamaica in electricity restoration – additional support needed

Several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states have committed to sending personnel to Jamaica to aid in restoring power to areas severely impacted by Hurricane Beryl.

Jamaica’s Energy Minister, Daryl Vaz, provided this update during Wednesday’s post-Cabinet press briefing, emphasizing that it is unacceptable for affected communities to face a third week without power.

Sections of Jamaica have remained without electricity since Hurricane Beryl hit on July 3.

“I had a discussion with the JPS (Jamaica Public Service) management team where I insisted that the time has come for external assistance based on the suffering of the Jamaican people and the gaps in the power supply across every parish,” said Vaz.

In addition to the severely impacted communities, many households are still without electricity. Vaz mentioned that external local contractors from the bauxite industry have been deployed to the affected areas and support has been requested from the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC).

Belize, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, and Guyana have agreed to send personnel to help with the restoration efforts. Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, has also been asked to seek further support from the wider region.

“The time has come for external assistance so that whatever is outstanding can be done in the shortest possible time,” added Vaz.

Excluding St Elizabeth, 55,000 customers were without electricity as of Sunday. This number was reduced to 35,960 by Monday and is expected to decrease further to 27,455 by Friday.