Hurricane Sandy Update: 50 Percent Of JPS Customers Still Without Power

Incoming reports are that the Jamaica Public Service Company, JPS says about 50 percent of its customers are still without electricity.

In a statement this morning, Head of Corporate Communications Winsome Callum noted that the company is making every effort to restore supply to most of its customers before the end of the day. But she noted that some customers in the most badly affected areas are likely to remain without electricity a while longer, due to the extent of the damage and challenges getting into those areas.

In the meantime, the JPS is urging members of the public to stay away from fallen power lines and utility poles. The company says it has sustained widespread damage to the electricity infrastructure. It says while restoration is in progress across the island, it is focusing most of its attention on the eastern and northeastern parishes.

The entire parishes of Portland, St Thomas, St. Mary and St. Ann lost power yesterday as a result of damage to critical elements of the transmission system. JPS says technical teams are working to repair the transmission infrastructure so that power can be restored to customers in these parishes.

The JPS says St. Catherine, Kingston and St. Andrew were also badly affected.

Source: ZipFm