Flow Jamaica says teams of technicians across the island continue to work on recovery and restoration activities in reconnecting residential and business customers in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

The telecoms provider, in a Friday (November 7) update, advised that 82 per cent of normal mobile traffic has been restored, while 46 per cent of mobile sites are currently online.

Flow indicated that it deployed 22 new generators to cell sites in Westmoreland and St James, as some have been impacted by damage or power availability.

“So far, our restoration efforts have enabled thousands of our customers in Westmoreland (Savanna-la-Mar, Negril, Whitehall, Sheffield, Egypt, Grange Hill, Moreland Hill), Hanover (Green Island, Hopewell, Richmond, Montpelier, Lucea), St. James (Catherine Hall, Salt Spring, Pitfour, Green Pond), Trelawny (Falmouth), and St. Elizabeth (Gutters, Black River) to regain connectivity,” said Flow.

“To date, over 100,000 customers have used our Flow-Starlink emergency communications network to send SMS messages,” the company added.

For its fixed internet service, Flow noted that 44 per cent of customers are now online, and recovery efforts have advanced in Manchester and St Thomas.

Restoration is focused on the internet transport layer and urban centres outside the storm’s direct impact zone. To date, Flow has restored three major rural routes—Port Antonio–Annotto Bay, Port Antonio–Morant Bay, and Mandeville–Santa Cruz—enabling improved access for Field Operations teams.

“Much of our progress on our fixed network and connectivity for our home internet customers is dependent on the availability of both commercial and residential power. We therefore continue to work in partnership with the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to assist our efforts,” added the company.

In the meantime, all Flow-owned retail stores have been reopened except for the Church Street location in Montego Bay, which was damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The company further advised that all staff and contractors have now been located and marked safe.

The regional telecoms giant has also been deploying its “Store on Wheels” vehicles daily, which continue to visit hard-hit communities with charging stations and provide mobile credit, free SIM cards and devices for residents.

The Flow Foundation and Flow employee volunteers visited several communities in western Jamaica on Wednesday (November 5), providing relief and aid to some of the most impacted Jamaicans.  Among the communities were Chester Castle in Hanover, Top River in Westmoreland, as well as the Savanna-la-Mar environs.