Community without power for more than a week

The heat is on for the residents of Barrett Hall in Lilliput, St James, who said they have been out of electricity for little more than a week.

They said they are imploring the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to rectify the situation by disconnecting the power of those who are stealing electricity.

"They should bring in the soldiers and police and arrest and disconnect the lights of those persons who are stealing. It is very unfair because there are law-abiding residents who are paying and are suffering. Everyone in this community know the 'electrician' in the community who is climbing the post and putting on the tiefing light, so JPS needs to have him arrested or come up with a system where electricity is not so easy to steal. Make an example out of them by arresting them," a resident said.

The woman said the community is home to approximately 200 persons, many of whom are paying customers. She said she and other residents have continuously called the JPS since the power outage on July 13 but shortly after the power was restored, a transformer blew.

"When we call back JPS they said it was because of the persons who are interfering with the light posts. I had to spend $17,000 to buy an igloo to store ice and because the time is so hot the ice doesn't last long. The place is so hot that my baby's skin is itching to the point where she begins to cry. Last night (Sunday), she couldn't sleep because it is summer and the heat is bad; we are suffocating," she said.

Another resident who operates a small shop said if power is not restored soon, she stands to lose thousands of dollars.

"I have a generator but I don't know how long I will be able to maintain it to keep the meat in the fridge fresh. There are persons here who raise chicken and all a dem soon drop dung dead because dem fowl ya puny and can't take the heat. This is messed up because mi personally pay my light bill every month and if mi late one month JPS a cut it off," she said.

Corporate Communications Officer at the JPS, Audrey Williams, says Barrett Hall has an alarming level of theft.

The JPS said it was incurring US$200 million in losses nationally, owing to illegal connections, with one in four customers illicitly abstracting power.

"In one month alone, the company has lost US$20,000 due to damage from overloading caused by theft. Upon further investigation, not only have persons tapped on to and burnt transformers, but also run wires underground to steal," she said.

Williams said that a JPS team returned to the community on Sunday and another transformer was installed. She said the JPS is warning the residents to desist from stealing electricity and encourages them to get regularised.