MANCHESTER, Jamaica – Residents of Alligator Pond and surrounding areas in southern Manchester are calling on the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) to compensate them for their losses resulting from a two-day power outage.

The residents, some of whom operate small businesses, argue that scores of food items including fish, chicken and ice cream, had to be discarded.

One resident, Carolyn Williams, said the power went from about 9:00 pm on Saturday.

“We pay our light bill on time. Those things are not fair. I am a fish vendor and everything melt out. I had to be asking people to trust them from me just to keep my business going… We have to work so hard to pay our bills and when our bills are not paid you guys (JPS) come and cut our light,” she said.

The power was restored sometime after 7:00 pm on Monday.

Another resident shared similar sentiments of the power outage.

“The fridge full of fish and chicken and mi have to take dem and dash dem weh. All mi liquor inna mi shop mi haffi give weh dem…. As one current bill come we haffi find the money fi pay for it. We the people need some justice,” she said.

Educator, Omar Robinson, who is aspiring to represent the People’s National Party in the Alligator Pond Division is calling on JPS to compensate the affected residents and small business owners.

“.. JPS must and should compensate customers who can show that they really lost items based on [the company’s] negligence,” he said.

JPS’ director of communications, Winsome Callum, said while she was not aware of the outage, explained that customers can submit their claims.

“There is a standard claims process that any customer can use if they think that they have suffered some damage as a result of something on the part of JPS and this would be for them to submit a formal claim in writing to the JPS claims department,” Callum said.

Kasey Williams