‘Leadership makes a difference’

WESTERN BUREAU:

Hugh Grant, president and chief executive officer of the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), is being hailed after electricity was finally ‘fully restored’ to customers in St Elizabeth, a month after he took office and almost two months after Hurricane Beryl destroyed its network in the parish on July 3.

Announcing the full restoration yesterday, Grant said, while it took some time, including importing international assistance to work on its high tension powerlines, the exercise was completed three days ahead of the JPS’ revised August 31 deadline.

JPS had initially committed to meeting an August 12 deadline but said earlier this month it would require more time.

“On the point of restoration, JPS has now completed power restoration in the parish of St Elizabeth three days ahead of schedule and right in time for back to school, one of the biggest events in the life of our young people and their families,” Grant said while addressing residents and their children during a back-to-school treat in Ginger Hill yesterday.

He said that, with all communities now re-energised in St Elizabeth, the company has completed its post-Beryl restoration of power across the entire island.

The JPS CEO was careful to point out however that, while power is now reconnected in all communities in St Elizabeth, some customers are still not connected because of issues related to their homes, including access roads that are now rendered impassable as a result of their being impacted by flooding and landslides.

“I want to declare [that] some customers may still have issues on their properties, which is preventing them from recovering supply, but their communities are back. We are working with those customers to have those issues resolved so we can get them the power, because power is in the communities,” he said.

“A few others may also be out due to access issues, but we are working with the authorities to have that also resolved,” added Grant, who noted that JPS has forged partnerships that have allowed it to rebuild its network and restore power.

He boasted that sections of the JPS network have been rehabilitated and are more resilient to weather systems.

“Sections of the network have been completely rebuilt and this rebuilding will continue in the ensuing weeks, and that will be done on a plan basis,” explained Grant.

PROACTIVE APPROACH

Yesterday, Energy Minister Daryl Vaz lauded what he described as Grant’s proactive approach after being informed of the full restoration of power in St Elizabeth.

“I am elated to hear the announcement from JPS, through its president, that full restoration of St Elizabeth has happened today, two or three days before the August 31 deadline,” said Vaz.

“It has been, in fact, a very painful eight weeks for me as minister and the hundreds of thousands of suffering customers during the passage of Beryl. So I am looking forward to the isolated areas, customers, and communities that are still having issues to be fully resolved in the next couple [of] days, so that we can, in fact, have full restoration.

“Also important to me is the remaining schools that were damaged that need to be reconnected for back to school; the National Water Commission pumps that are still out, and, of course, the National Irrigation Commission wells that serve the farmers. But, a great achievement, and I give credit to the president and his proactive approach since he took office on August 1st, that he has been able to lead from the front and get this painful matter behind us,” Vaz added.

Meanwhile, J.C. Hutchinson, the member of parliament for St Elizabeth North Western, praised JPS for restoring electricity to both the residential and business customers, despite the challenges faced.

“I want to thank JPS for bringing back current to our area. I have been checking the constituency and I am pleased to say that there is nobody who has come to say that they are still out of electricity,” said Hutchinson.

He said his only concern at this time is the frequency with which there are power outages, noting that this must become a thing of the past.

Mayor of Black River Richard Solomon said the people of St Elizabeth are the best across the island while celebrating their resilience over the last two months living without electricity.

“I am a happier man now. I was so distressed (during and after the hurricane) but leadership makes a difference,” Solomon said.

Continuing, the mayor noted that, since the new JPS CEO took over as president and CEO, the parish has felt his leadership and commitment.

“We have a lot to give thanks for and it speaks to your resilience and the patience you’ve exercised,” said Solomon.

editorial@gleanerjm.com