OPALCO Linemen travel to Jamaica to assist after Hurricane Beryl

By Brian Swanson, OPALCO Line Crew Foreman, Lopez Island

Upon receiving a call from NRECA International due to being a previous volunteer in Haiti, they were looking for immediate volunteers to work in Jamaica after Hurricane Beryl hit on July 3rd 2024. The Jamaican Utility (JPS) reached out to NRECA and NRECA reached out to their previous volunteers. I made a call to my line buddy, Luke Furber, on San Juan Island to see if he’d be interested and before we both knew it we had tickets and were leaving within the week.

Once arriving in the very hot humid heat of Jamaica we joined up with seven other Co-op lineworkers from around the country. Even though we were all from different cities and towns across America, we had a commonality that brought us all together, we were lineman and we knew what it would take to get the work done. Luke and I noticed the same thing once merging with the linemen in Jamaica. Though we struggled a bit with their English dialect, we all shared the same language of our profession. Sharing this trade work broke down any barriers that could have existed and we were able to complete the work in less time than was planned.

IBEW Local 77 Linemen Brian Swanson and Luke Furber, Jamaica 2024

         Our work was concentrated on the southeast portion of Jamaica called St. Elizabeth Parish, where they had been without power for six weeks. This part of the country is the agricultural seat where all the spices, grains, vegetables and livestock is raised and grown for Jamaica. This community was without power the longest. They were so  appreciative to have their power on after being without it for so long. We found them all to be such kind, warm and welcoming people. I am very thankful to NRECA International and OPALCO for this opportunity to work in Jamaica. It was such a rewarding experience for me.