The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has activated its Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs) in Kingston & St Andrew, St Thomas and Portland in response to the passage of Tropical Storm Tomas.

The EOCs were activated at 6 this morning to facilitate quick response in the event of damage to the island's power delivery system.

JPS is advising customers, particularly persons in the eastern parishes, that it is likely that there will be disruptions in their electricity supply during the storm, as a result of the impact of wind, rain and lightning on the power delivery system. Strong winds will break power lines, while heavy rains will cause landslides that affect the utility's power delivery system. Also, lightning can cause severe damage to the infrastructure.

The company assures customers, however, that it will take steps to restore electricity in the shortest possible time, according to its established restoration procedures.

"JPS has a restoration protocol that guides our operations after a storm or hurricane. Our first priority is to assess the extent of the damage to our systems, before starting repairs. Once repairs are done, however, electricity is first restored to the main lines that provide electricity to essential services such as hospitals, airports, communication systems, and water supply facilities. We then turn our focus to fixing the damage on other major lines that will allow us to restore supply to most people in the shortest time. Attention is then given to the smaller lines, and finally to individual customers with isolated problems. The restoration timeline will be determined by the extent of the damage to the power system, and the accessibility of the affected areas," explains Winsome Callum, JPS' head of corporate communications.