Jamaica has made significant strides in restoring electricity following superstorm Melissa, thanks in large part to a $150 million emergency loan from the World Bank. The funds, fast-tracked after the storm struck last October, allowed the Jamaica Public Service Company to accelerate repairs in heavily impacted northern and western parishes, including Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, and St James.

Minister of Energy Daryl Vaz told Parliament this week that within three weeks of receiving the support, over 50 per cent of the roughly 108,000 customers still without power were reconnected, including critical facilities such as water pumps and telecommunications infrastructure. “This means that 92 per cent of customers now have electricity. Approximately 51,000 of close to 700,000 customers remain without power,” Vaz said. Overall, 491,000 of the 542,000 residents affected have been restored to the grid after nearly three months.

Melissa, which made landfall in late October, caused widespread damage to homes, schools, courthouses, and other essential infrastructure. Flooding also triggered an outbreak of leptospirosis, which health authorities have since contained. The hurricane hit Jamaica just 15 months after Hurricane Beryl, a category five storm that severely affected Grenada, St Vincent, and other nearby islands. Kingston and surrounding areas were largely spared.

Regional support proved crucial. Guyana and Barbados sent power company teams to assist in the restoration effort, while Barbados also provided a field hospital to aid medical services in affected communities. Vaz praised the speed and effectiveness of the response. “Jamaica’s restoration response has outperformed regional peers and is close to best-in-class, with a level of recovery that is commendable and reflects disciplined execution, collaboration, and professional leadership,” he said.

Late last year, a consortium of multilateral agencies, including the CAF, CDB, IDB, IMF, and World Bank, pledged at least $3.6 billion in emergency funding to support Jamaica’s recovery from the mega storm.

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