Roetman volunteers to help rebuild electric service in Jamaica

Steele-Waseca Cooperative Electric Field Technician Gabe Roetman volunteered his services to help with the reconstruction of electric service in Jamaica.

Roetman agreed to volunteer for NRECA International as a journeyman class A line technician, Aug. 19 to Sept. 6, to help with the reconstruction of the distribution system in the Kingston and Elizabeth parishes in Jamaica.

On July 4, Hurricane Beryl hit Jamaica as a Category 4 storm—wreaking havoc in much of the island and destroying the electric distribution system. The outages affected close to a half-million homes and businesses.

The local utility, JPS, completed assessments and cleanup post-hurricane, and has been able to restore service to large areas of the country, including hospitals and major health care facilities. However, they needed help in completing restoration to the rural areas in some of the parishes, particularly in St. Elizabeth.

Roetman worked in conjunction with JPS crews. Work mostly consisted of single phase service in putting up wire, insulators, etc., on ridgelines with the work being done on deenergized lines.

Gabe joined Steele-Waseca on April 1, 2021, after working for an electric co-op in Iowa for 13 years. 

Steele-Waseca is pleased to welcome Gabe back and for him to share his experience in Jamaica.

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