As the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially kicks off, leaders of Jamaica’s top utility providers have reflected on the unprecedented solidarity that defined recovery efforts after Hurricane Melissa, emphasizing that national interest trumped commercial rivalry when communities needed help most.
Speaking at the Jamaica Observer Press Club last Thursday, Digicel Jamaica Chief Executive Officer Stephen Murad opened up about the rapid shift in priorities after the storm left large swathes of western Jamaica reeling from destruction. While daily competition for customers and market share is a standard part of the telecommunications and utility industries, Murad noted that every organization put their competitive tensions aside to focus on community recovery.
“At the end of the day, our core mission as local entities is protecting Jamaica. That’s what drives every decision we make right now,” Murad explained. He highlighted that collaboration across the sector has strengthened dramatically since Hugh Grant took the helm at the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), noting that cross-company coordination is now seamless. “Hugh and I can have all the market rivalry in the world — that’s good for customers, actually — but when disaster hits, it’s country first, no exceptions. No matter what brand you wear, we’re all Jamaicans first. Thousands of people are still living with the after-effects of one of the most devastating storms we’ve seen in decades, and we can never forget that.”
Murad added that Digicel’s commitment to recovery stretched far beyond just restoring damaged cell service. Months after the hurricane passed, the company continues to support impacted communities across the island. As a major local employer with roughly 1,000 workers in Jamaica, Murad noted that the recovery of communities is directly tied to the well-being of the company’s own team and their families.
Similar commitments to cross-sector cooperation and long-term resilience were echoed by Stephen Price, Vice-President and General Manager of Flow Jamaica. Price outlined that the sector is currently walking a tightrope: working to upgrade and reinforce critical infrastructure to withstand future storms while absorbing skyrocketing costs driven by post-disaster recovery and ongoing global supply chain disruptions.
Price revealed that Flow has poured roughly US$85 million into recovery works since Hurricane Melissa hit in November, with an additional US$27 million invested in expanding network capacity to meet surging demand for connectivity in the storm’s aftermath. Beyond immediate repairs, the company has expanded backup power generation systems, moved roughly 80 kilometers of transmission lines underground to reduce storm vulnerability, and reinforced critical facilities that are at risk of storm surge damage.
Still, Price cautioned that building climate-resilient infrastructure carries a very heavy price tag for Jamaica, a small island developing state that is disproportionately impacted by climate change. “This level of infrastructure costs real money, and we know what kind of pressure that puts on our already strained national economy,” he said. “We’ve seen inflation jump since the hurricane, but none of the major utility providers have raised customer rates yet. We’ve absorbed all the increases in fuel prices and the extra supply chain costs so far.”
Price noted that cost pressures go far beyond fuel: petroleum-based materials, fiber optic infrastructure, shipping, and all imported construction inputs have grown drastically more expensive in recent years. While providers are working hard to shield consumers from these costs for as long as possible, he warned that continued large-scale investment in resilience could eventually require moderate rate adjustments to keep upgrades on track.
At the National Water Commission (NWC), Corporate Public Relations Manager Delano Williams outlined the agency’s new preparations for the 2024 hurricane season. The NWC is investing roughly J$1.2 billion in additional backup generators for major water treatment facilities and secondary distribution sites across the island. The agency has also strengthened pre-negotiated agreements with private trucking contractors to speed up potable water deliveries to cut-off communities during emergency outages.
For JPS, Jamaica’s main electricity provider, Chief Operating Officer Lance Becca shared that the company has expanded formal partnership agreements with overseas utilities and equipment suppliers. The new pacts allow JPS to access critical replacement parts and emergency supplies much faster after major storms, strengthening the company’s overall contingency planning and response capacity for the upcoming hurricane season.