KINGSTON, Jamaica — Parts of Jamaica’s utility sector have yet to fully recover from Hurricane Melissa as the country enters a new Atlantic hurricane season, prompting regulators to require stronger disaster planning and additional financial safeguards for critical service providers.

The warning from the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) comes seven months after Melissa damaged electricity and telecommunications infrastructure across the island, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power and communications and triggering one of the largest restoration efforts in recent years.

“I am mindful that the 2026 hurricane season will see a utility sector that has not yet fully recovered from Hurricane Melissa,” OUR Director General Ansord Hewitt said in a statement issued on Tuesday.