The Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. (JPS) said yesterday that it had almost completed restoring power to all its customers following Hurricane Dean, which battered the country on August 19.

However, the light and power company said the challenge of difficult terrain in several communities has hampered its progress in some areas. Despite these challenges, the company said up to September 4 it has restored electricity supply to '97 per cent of its customers.

The JPS said, "While there are some challenges being encountered in this phase of the restoration process, the company's employees and contractors continue to work tirelessly to have all customers fully restored in the shortest possible time."

Difficult terrain

The company said that there are several communities in the parishes of St. Thomas, Portland and rural St. Andrew that are still without supply due to difficult terrain, which makes it difficult to gain access to these areas.

These include communities such as Cascade, Buff Bay Valley, Parkmount and Nonsuch in Portland; and Hayfield, Sunny Hill District, Needham Pen to Brooks Land, Penline Castle, Hagley Gap Road, Summerset, Goat Ridge and River Head in St. Thomas.

The company said it is working closely with the National Works Agency to gain access to these communities.

Additionally, in the parishes of Manchester, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth, the JPS said it continues to work to replace downed poles and repair its transmission and distribution lines that were extensively damaged by the hurricane.