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The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) suspended regular service on Sunday (October 26) in response to the threat posed by Hurricane Melissa. The State-run entity cited rising water levels and reduced visibility due to rainfall associated with Hurricane Melissa as the primary reasons for suspending operations. This is according to Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Hon. Daryl Vaz, who noted that the JUTC is providing special support in transporting medical personnel to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), and stands ready to respond to similar requests from the public health sector. He provided the update during a press briefing on developments related to Hurricane Melissa, held at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Kingston on Sunday (October 26). Meanwhile, Mr. Vaz advised that JUTC has responded to four evacuation calls since Saturday (October 25). He indicated that buses were dispatched to Flagaman in St. Elizabeth, Old Harbour Bay in St. Catherine, and Port Royal and Rae Town in the Corporate Area, noting that responses from intended evacuees varied across locations. As such, the Minister urges at-risk residents to take advantage of the opportunity to relocate to safety. Meanwhile, Mr. Vaz highlighted vandalism as a persistent challenge within the telecommunications sector, citing a copper theft incident occurring earlier on Sunday along Red Hills Road in St. Andrew. Consequently, he shared contact details for Jamaica’s two main telecommunications providers—Digicel and Flow—enabling members of the public to report incidents of vandalism directly. Persons can contact Flow at 876-922-HELP (4357) or Digicel at 876-355-5000. “Every time somebody does anything to harm the property of the telecommunications [entities], whether it be diesel oil, or generators or fibre cables, it is only going to set us back in our recovery efforts,” Minister Vaz emphasised.
