The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) says there is a paradigm shift in its preparation for hurricanes.

The company came in for heavy criticism over the pace of restoration of service following the passage of Hurricane Beryl last July.

JPS President and Chief Executive Officer, Hugh Grant says the company is moving to have workers from overseas in Jamaica prior to a storm.

He explains that after Hurricane Beryl, 50 workers from the Caribbean and North America  supported the JPS’ restoration efforts.

Mr. Grant says JPS is seeking to have a capacity of up to 300 such workers and will be discussing how to fund this initiative with the Office of  Utilities Regulation (OUR). 

He states that another lesson learnt was the need for stronger stakeholder engagement, adding that the company is advanced in those efforts.

Mr. Grant says the engagement with stakeholders, including municipal corporations, will help the company with restoration priorities.