GoodHeart | Kenroy Williams shines his light
Published:Saturday | November 15, 2025 | 12:19 AM
When Hurricane Melissa tore through western Jamaica as a Category-5 system, Westmoreland was among the parishes left in ruins. Homes crumbled, power lines fell, and communication vanished. In a matter of hours, life as people knew it was gone. Yet, amid the devastation, Kenroy Williams, a key account executive at Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), emerged as a symbol of hope for his community in Bay Road, Little London.
For Williams, the storm tested his endurance, but also presented a call to serve.
“It was a truly frightening and humbling experience,” he recalled. “We didn’t anticipate Hurricane Melissa would hit with such intensity. We prayed together as a family and held on to faith, not knowing what would come next.”
When the winds calmed, Williams stepped outside to a world transformed: roads blocked by fallen trees, homes damaged, and a stillness where laughter once filled the air. What struck him most wasn’t the destruction, it was the silence. No power. No phone service. No internet. Families were desperate to know if their loved ones were safe.
As a JPS professional and owner of Streamline Media, Williams had access to a Starlink satellite Internet system and a back-up generator. He turned his home into a communication hub so residents could reconnect with their families. Word spread quickly, and soon neighbours began arriving.
“I realised how critical connectivity was,” he added.
One moment that stayed with him was when a mother, who hadn’t heard from her daughter in Kingston, finally made contact.
“The moment she heard her daughter’s voice, she broke down in tears,” he said. “That’s when I understood this was about more than Internet access; it was peace of mind, love, and hope.”
What began as one man’s effort became a community movement. In the weeks that followed, Williams brought connectivity and relief to over 1,500 residents across eight communities in Westmoreland.
In addition to his personal outreach, JPS has been actively supporting employees like Williams who are serving on the frontlines of relief. Working in collaboration with the JPS Foundation and JPS People Operations Department, the company has distributed care packages containing canned goods, bottled water, tarpaulins, power banks, tissue, and other essentials to over 180 employees and third-party staff affected by the hurricane. Relief deliveries have reached nine key points across the island, including Montego Bay, Black River, Hanover, Westmoreland, Falmouth, St Ann’s Bay, and Mandeville, ensuring that employees and their families are cared for as they continue to serve their communities.
To Williams, “light” means far more than electricity, it embodies the power to restore hope. “Being able to offer light, both literally and figuratively, means everything to me,” he said.