As simmering geopolitical tensions in the Middle East push global shipping costs sharply higher and introduce new risks to already strained international supply chains, Jamaica’s core utility providers are taking aggressive, proactive steps to stockpile critical infrastructure equipment and ramp up investment in emergency readiness ahead of the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Senior industry leaders say hard-won lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and repeated global disruptions have underscored the urgent need for forward planning in an era of unprecedented global uncertainty.
Executives from four of Jamaica’s largest utility and infrastructure providers — Digicel, Flow Jamaica, Jamaica Public Service (JPS), and the National Water Commission (NWC) — outlined their updated preparedness strategies during a public forum held last Thursday at the Jamaica Observer Press Club. They emphasized that modern hurricane preparation now extends far beyond traditional weather tracking, with transnational conflicts, persistent supply chain bottlenecks, and soaring transportation costs reshaping every part of emergency planning.
For Digicel Chief Executive Officer Stephen Murad, the adjusted strategy is straightforward: secure essential supplies early, and stock more than historical protocols recommend. “COVID taught us to plan multiple years in advance, so we’ve been purchasing all critical equipment years ahead of need. We’re not willing to take any unnecessary risks at this point,” Murad explained. He noted that this approach was forged not just by the pandemic, but by more recent geopolitical shocks, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and escalating tensions across the Middle East. To mitigate supply chain disruption risks, Digicel has overhauled its long-standing procurement framework, allocating larger upfront budgets and accelerating purchase timelines for all key network and recovery equipment.
Stephen Price, Vice-President and General Manager of Flow Jamaica, echoed Murad’s observations, noting that constant uncertainty has become the default operating environment for Caribbean utility providers. “From COVID onward, we’ve recognized we operate in a world defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity,” Price said. “We have to plan with this reality front of mind, because any unforeseen crisis can emerge at any time.”
Price added that the financial ripple effects of global instability are already being felt across Jamaica’s utility sector, with dramatic cost increases hitting operational budgets. “We have to buy ahead and account for all the supply chain challenges Stephen outlined, but right now this preparedness comes with a huge price tag. We’ve seen shipping costs for some equipment double, and the cost of key products has also risen 100 percent in some cases,” he said.
The renewed focus on preparedness comes as Jamaica enters the lead-up to another hurricane season, less than a year after Hurricane Melissa swept across parts of the island in October 2025, leaving widespread damage to public and private infrastructure and placing massive strain on the country’s critical service providers.
At the NWC, the country’s state-owned water utility, preparations have centered on expanding inventories of core recovery equipment including generators, water pumps, and replacement pipes, while locking in pre-emergency service agreements with private water trucking operators. “One detail we’ve had to prioritize much more heavily is strengthening our partnerships with trucking operators ahead of any storm, because their rates skyrocket once water supply shortages hit after a disaster,” explained NWC Corporate Public Relations Manager Delano Williams.
JPS Chief Operating Officer Lance Becca noted that the power utility has also expanded cross-border partnership networks with international utilities and suppliers to guarantee fast access to critical materials in the aftermath of major storms. “A key lesson we’ve taken away is the importance of diversifying our supply and support portfolio,” Becca explained. “We’ve built formal partnerships with other key industry players across the globe, and when Hurricane Melissa hit, that relationship allowed us to quickly source emergency supplies from peer utilities when we needed them.”
Across all four companies, leaders agreed that 21st-century hurricane preparedness can no longer be approached as a purely local challenge. Events occurring thousands of miles from Jamaica’s borders now directly impact how quickly emergency supplies can reach the island, how much critical equipment costs, and ultimately how effectively the country can recover after a storm makes landfall.