No signal - Some residents of eastern parishes feel technologically cut off since hurricane

Although Hurricane Melissa's most severe destruction hit western Jamaica, residents in sections of eastern Portland and St Thomas say they are facing a different kind of hardship - barely functioning telecoms service that continues to leave them isolated and frustrated weeks after the storm.

In Belle Castle, Portland, residents say cell service is intermittent, often dropping during calls and rarely offering enough data to send a message or load a simple web page. Jammie, who runs a small shop and depends on phone orders from customers in St Thomas, said the unreliable connectivity is crippling her ability to function.

"Sometimes you see one bar and by the time you try make a call, it gone again," she said. "We not totally without service, but it so poor it don't feel like we have any. We really feel forgotten."

She added that the instability has turned everyday life into a scramble for basic communication.

"It's so funny how when we were connected, me used to cuss me pickney dem and tell them fi give the phone a break. But is a lot of young professionals in this community. How can they continue like this, especially if they work from home we don't even have electricity?"

Pointing to a nearby tower, she said residents are confused about the real cause of the disruption.

"We have a cell tower right up there. I don't know if it is the carrier I use or because some of the community still nuh have light. I genuinely don't know what's the issue."

"I understand there is going to be a disruption after a storm like Melissa, but how long before we get help? And how do we ask for help?" she asked.

Simultaneously, she admitted to feeling guilty about calling attention to her own struggles.

"Honestly, I even feel bad having to complain because people in the west don't even have a roof over their heads. So who am I to complain about a simple cell service disruption?"

Another resident, Omar Johnson, described the situation as exhausting, noting that the signal is so unstable that people must move around the community to find reception.

"Mi affi walk up and down like mi hunting signal," he said. "A little bit of service come in, then drop out. People think east good because Melissa never lick we like west, but we struggling just the same."

Across the border near the Hectors River stretch into St Thomas, small farmer George Brown said the weak signal has stalled his recovery after losing crops to the heavy rains.

"Sometimes the call ring once and cut off, or people can't hear mi," he said. "Mi trying to reach the buyers but nobody getting through. The west get the destruction, but the east get this constant silence. And silence can feel like suffering too."

Despite these complaints, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says it has received almost no formal reports of prolonged telecoms issues from the east, a gap the agency acknowledges may be due to residents' inability to reliably contact providers.

"The OUR has not received any major complaints from St Thomas, Portland or other eastern communities," the regulator said, adding that since October 30, only one complaint was filed about telecoms disruption.

The entity also noted that restoration in some eastern communities is being slowed by the lack of electricity, especially in Portland and St Mary. As of November 20, JPS reported that 19 per cent of Portland customers and 17 per cent of St Mary customers remain without electricity. According to the OUR, "The lack of electricity in some areas will impact the restoration of some telecoms services."

For those still struggling with weak service, the OUR encouraged customers to report issues via call centres or by visiting utility offices whenever they are able.