KINGSTON, Jamaica — In the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s devastating impact, the Jamaican government is shifting its energy restoration strategy to prioritize economic reactivation—starting with the financial arteries of western Jamaica.
With ATMs and point-of-sale (POS) systems serving as the linchpins of local commerce, the Ministry of Energy, in collaboration with the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), is targeting areas where banking infrastructure has been crippled. Hanover, St Elizabeth, and Trelawny remain among the hardest hit, with nearly half of machines still offline due to extensive storm damage.
The move follows a recent US $150 million financing deal aimed at accelerating grid reconstruction. Energy Minister Daryl Vaz confirmed the deployment of over 300 linesmen, with a specific mandate: restore electricity to core commercial zones ahead of the Christmas and New Year period.
“This isn’t just about turning lights back on—it’s about rebooting financial access,” said a senior official familiar with the plan. “Where cash can’t flow, recovery stalls.”
Nationwide, approximately 96% of POS devices and 89% of ATMs have returned to operation. However, the remaining outage zones are disproportionately clustered in towns that serve as retail and service hubs—areas where cashless transactions are not just convenient, but essential.
Vaz underscored that efforts will be concentrated on energizing town centers, each anchored by multiple financial institutions. “Every township is a nerve center. Reestablishing these is not a luxury—it’s a necessity for stabilizing commerce in the aftermath of crisis.”
JPS has indicated that replacement parts for downed infrastructure are being fast-tracked, while entire units will be swapped where salvage is impossible. Field crews are expected to intensify their work over the next several days, executing a town-by-town rollout in synchronization with national recovery logistics.
The mission is clear: restore power where it fuels the greatest flow of transactions. Without working ATMs and POS networks, local economies remain frozen. And for many Jamaicans, especially in the west, that means no access to cash—and no path to rebuild.
