Hamilton,
Bermuda
Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO or the Company) today announced that a contingent of lineworkers travelled to Jamaica last week to assist in power restoration efforts following Hurricane Melissa.
The lineworkers left on Saturday, April 11 and will spend two weeks on the island, returning on Friday, April 24. The lineworkers are Shawn Wade, Jacari Renfroe, Malik Smith, Eusebio Blakendal, Josiah Smith, Marcus Wade, Cornell Young and retiree Kevin Santucci.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, as a category 5 hurricane on October 28, 2025, causing widespread damage to the island including the electricity infrastructure.
Nearly six months after the storm, approximately 17,000 customers across the island’s western parishes remain without power. Crews from 18 Caribbean partner utilities have been on the ground supporting Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) throughout the restoration, with 97.5% of customers now reconnected. BELCO’s team has joined that effort at the request of the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), to assist JPS with the “last mile” of restoration.
The team arrived in Kingston on April 11, completed an orientation session with JPS, and began field work on April 13 in Westmoreland, in western Jamaica. The team is working in some of Jamaica’s most challenging terrain. The western parishes, where the majority of remaining customers are located, are characterised by rugged, hilly, and remote landscapes, with narrow roads and limited access points that make every step of the restoration process more demanding.
The BELCO team took their own safety and working equipment including climbing gear, personal protection devices and other work-related equipment such as hard hats, steel toe boots, and insulated gloves. Safety is the number one priority for BELCO staff and the local residents.
BELCO last sent crews to the British Virgin Islands in 2017 following category 5 Hurricane Irma, which wrought a path of destruction across the Caribbean.
Bermuda has also benefited from the support of other CARILEC utilities. In 2014, 19 CARILEC lineworkers from the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados and Cayman travelled to Bermuda to work alongside BELCO team members during restoration efforts following the back-to-back impact of Hurricane Fay and Hurricane Gonzalo.
BELCO President, Wayne Caines said: “As a member of CARILEC, BELCO lineworkers have on previous occasions travelled to member countries to assist with power restoration following hurricanes, and we have also benefited from the mutual assistance agreement. I am proud of our team who are currently in Jamaica to assist with final restoration efforts to restore power to residents who have been without power for almost five months. I wish them a safe and successful trip and thank them for their service to assist the people of Jamaica.”