The Jamaica Public Service, JPS, projects that by the weekend, it will have full restoration of service to customers affected by outages caused by Tropical Storm Rafael. 

The company said less than 2,000 customers are still without electricity.

This projection of full restoration by next Sunday, November 10, comes as the company concludes its assessment of the damage to the electricity network caused by the heavy rains and strong winds associated with the tropical storm.

JPS president Hugh Grant said the company was prepared and had activated the 24 hour incident command operations early so that teams could start restoration work as soon as it was safe to do so. 

As a result, JPS was able to get service back to most customers even before the storm fully passed.

Grant explained that this final phase of the restoration process would be the most time consuming.

This phase involves tackling infrastructure that spans very difficult terrain, and isolated cases in affected communities.

He said JPS understands the inconvenience of being without electricity service for an extended period, and so teams are laser-focused on getting power back to the affected customers as safely and quickly as possible over the next few days.

Grant added that the company is working with the relevant agencies to gain access to communities that have been blocked off by landslides.

He pointed out that although the storm has passed, it is still important to take safety precautions to protect life and property. 

Members of the public are urged to drive carefully on wet and flooded roadways and to stay away from fallen poles and downed power lines.