Vaz reports 51,000 without power as outages mount ahead of Hurricane Melissa

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz says power outages are increasing across Jamaica as conditions worsen ahead of Hurricane Melissa’s arrival.

Speaking at a press briefing today, he reported that as of 9 a.m., more than 51,000 customers were without electricity, with over 33,000 — or 65 per cent — in western Jamaica.

Vaz said most of the outages were caused by trees falling on power lines.

He said he had "terse words" with the power provider, Jamaica Public Service (JPS), over the loss of electricity in parts of Kingston and St Andrew, where there has not been "any level of rain or wind."

He argued that a 12-hour response time is "unacceptable."

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