St Ann’s Bay mayor blames service providers for inadequate communication

WESTERN BUREAU:

Mayor of St Ann’s Bay, Councillor Michael Belnavis, says service providers are to blame for the “lack of adequate communication” being faced amid hurricane recovery efforts in St Ann.

Belnavis was responding to comments made by residents in Lime Hall, who told The Gleaner that they have not received any formal communication from their service providers or political representatives. The residents’ complaints stem from a lack of electricity, running water and Internet connectivity after the July 3 passage of Hurricane Beryl.

“It was very devastating because I was watching the hurricane, and the first thing that came down when the breeze started to blow was the light post. And the only person mi see come round here over one week now is the [People’s National Party] caretaker for St Ann North Eastern, Ryan Simpson, and him cya do nothing fi we,” complained Lime Hall resident Natalie Brown.

“Nobody round here nuh have light because all of the wires are on the ground. We nuh have no light, we nuh have no water and we nuh see no JPS, we nuh see no councillor. We nuh see nobody,” she further argued.

Another resident explained that they have since been forced to purchase drinking water. They also visit a nearby river in New Ground for water to do laundry and other household chores. In addition to that, the residents pay $100 to charge their cell phone at a community business that has a generator.

While Ocho Rios and its surrounding areas are back on the power grid, Lime Hall and other rural areas are still without electricity.

In the meantime, Belnavis explained that the St Ann Municipal Corporation, too, has experienced a significant breakdown in communication with different agencies during and after Hurricane Beryl’s passage. The mayor further said that major concerns were raised over how service providers, Jamaica Public Service (JPS), National Water Commission (NWC) and Flow, relayed information to their customers.

‘Always up in the air’

“As it [relates to] Jamaica Public Service, we believe that there was a communication issue. They were not very communicative, and when they did communicate, we couldn’t get the level of information necessary to pass on to the residents,” Belnavis bemoaned.

“It was always up in the air. ‘We are not sure’, ‘we will have to get back to you’. So, we were not necessarily able to effectively communicate.”

Similarly, Belnavis said that cell service was also a major issue as they were unable to relay the little information that they did receive.

“Flow was essentially non-existent during the hurricane and that provided communication issues. Digicel was up during the event, but there were issues with interconnectivity because Flow was not there,” Belnavis told The Gleaner.

On the other hand, Belnavis said that the National Works Agency (NWA) and the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) were integral in clearing the main thoroughfare of trees and other debris.

“In the night after the hurricane passed, we were able to have the main thoroughfare operating with single lane traffic. We had tractor men and men [with saw] that were controlled by councillors,” the mayor explained.

At the same time, Belnavis said that the residents’ feelings are valid as they have been left in the dark regarding the happenings in their parish. He pointed out that while JPS may have encountered significant challenges with their electric poles due to the hurricane, residents are unaware of how this affects their electricity and water.

“There were issues that people didn’t know, but if they had communicated that, the people would be more understanding.

“Water in certain areas can’t work because the pump is electric. We had water in Ocho Rios throughout, but in the hills of St Ann, no electricity means no water, so people have to go to the rivers,” says Belnavis.

rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com