Thousands are without power and telecoms connectivity in Jamaica following the impact of Hurricane Melissa.

The Category 5 hurricane hit the Caribbean island yesterday, bringing high winds and heavy rain to the country.

The impact of the storm, the most powerful of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, has affected telecom services across the country.

NetBlocks noted on X that connectivity in the country is only at around 30 percent of normal levels.

Prior to the hurricane making landfall, the country's operators prepared for such outages, with Digicel Jamaica and Flow activating emergency response centers.

"Our teams across the island are fully mobilized, refueling stations are ready, batteries are charged, and contingency plans are in place," said Digicel in a post on LinkedIn earlier this week. "We are prepared to respond swiftly and work diligently to keep our customers connected when it matters most."

Flow noted that it has backup power at more than 60 percent of its mobile sites.

To support the connectivity response, Flow's parent company, Liberty Caribbean, has paired with Elon Musk's SpaceX subsidiary, Starlink.

Liberty Caribbean is working with Starlink to provide direct-to-cell coverage across Jamaica, as terrestrial networks have been severely impacted.

An additional spectrum bandwidth license was awarded to Flow by the country's government to support the response efforts.

The carrier separately noted that it's prepared for hurricanes such as this one through simulations at regional, national, internal, and external levels to ensure readiness and coordination across all teams.

Flow stated that the company has drawn on past hurricanes, such as Hurricane Beryl, which hit Jamaica and several other islands last year.

"Over the past year, we’ve made significant infrastructural upgrades and strengthened our network resilience so you can stay connected when it matters most. Drawing on lessons from Hurricane Beryl, and guided by the leadership of Stephen Price, VP and general manager of Flow Jamaica, our teams have worked closely with national agencies, suppliers, and partners to enhance our response and restoration efforts," said Flow on LinkedIn yesterday (October 28).

Earlier this week, telco providers Digicel and Flow warned that theft of key telecoms equipment is a bigger threat to emergency responses than the weather.

As reported by The Gleaner, both telcos reported stolen fuel and damaged cables prior to the hurricane.

Price stated that thieves stole 1,300 gallons of fuel from 10 generators last week, while Digicel’s CEO Steven Maragh said stolen diesel during Hurricane Beryl caused major blackouts.

The full extent of the damage caused by the hurricane is not yet known, though the storm is headed for Cuba later today.