JPS targets two-week timeline to restore power at Savanna-la-Mar Hospital

The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) is working to have power restored at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland within the next two weeks, amid significant damage caused by Hurricane Melissa nearly four weeks ago.

The company’s CEO and President, Hugh Grant, shared the information at a media briefing in Negril in the parish on Sunday.

“We are advancing new commitments to accelerate restoration across the western end of the island,” said Grant.

He said crews are working tirelessly to reconnect homes, hospitals, and commercial facilities across Westmoreland and the wider western region.

Grant said this work is being hampered by challenges such as blocked roads, damaged terrain, and heavily impacted transmission lines.

He noted that the JPS substation in Paradise, Westmoreland, which is a critical hub for the region, sustained significant damage during the hurricane.

“I went to our Paradise substation and we sustained damage at our Paradise substation. One of our major transformers… was damaged due to the hurricane. But I saw the team there, several crews working to get the Paradise substation up and running as soon as possible. So, we’re working some parallel paths,” Grant explained.

“Several long-span transmission routes that feed the West, structures that took decades to build and expand, were torn apart,” Grant said.

In the meantime, electricity has been restored to parts of Norman Manley Boulevard in Negril, with power running from Orange Bay in Hanover.

Grant said this progress aligns with the broader strategy to restore electricity to key town centres, commercial corridors, and critical facilities, supporting the recovery of tourism and other economic activity.

JPS appealed to residents and stakeholders in Negril who are without electricity to remain patient as it works to fix the Paradise substation.

- Mickalia Kington

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