Government officials urged residents to stay put if possible today as they assess the storm-related damages caused by Tropical Storm Ernesto, which barreled across the territory on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
During a press conference held Wednesday morning, Gov. Albert Bryan, Jr., and Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency Director Daryl Jaschen explained that while the center of Tropical Storm Ernesto has moved north of the territory, the system is very large, and severe weather will continue throughout the day.
As of an 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Ernesto had intensified into a Category 1 hurricane. At 11 a.m., Ernesto was located approximately 175 miles northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, moving northwest at 16 mph and packing maximum sustained winds of roughly 75 mph.
The USVI remains under multiple weather alerts, including a Tropical Storm Warning, a High Surf Advisory, a Coastal Flood Advisory, and a Flood Advisory.
Jaschen noted that additional rainfall and gusty winds could be expected on Wednesday, particularly across St. Thomas and St. John, as Tropical Storm Ernesto continues traveling toward the northwest and away from the local islands.
Territory Assessments
Jaschen provided details regarding the status of the airports, seaports, hospitals, and other operations across the USVI.
Airports
The airports across the USVI are scheduled to open at 12 p.m. on Wednesday.
“Both the Cyril E. King [Airport on St. Thomas] and the Henry E. Rohlsen [Airport on St. Croix] will open up at noon [on Wednesday],” Jaschen explained.
“Final inspections on the runways [are being completed], and there is some debris down there,” Jaschen said. “However, [as of Wednesday morning, officials] are [are not anticipating having any] problem opening up the airports on St. Croix and St. Thomas,” he added.
Seaports
Jaschen explained that the seaports across the USVI will remain closed until further notice.
“Right now, there is no [new] news, except that [seaports] are still closed at this point,” Jaschen noted.
Hospitals
The Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas and the Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix are open and operational. However, Jaschen noted that electricity issues were being addressed at Juan F. Luis Hospital on Wednesday morning, and repairs are ongoing.
“The challenge right now at Juan F. Luis Hospital is the feeder line has gone down due to some trees on top of feeder line 5A,” Jaschen said. “[Officials] are working very diligently with the hospital, the Public Works Department, and the police,” he continued.
Storm-Related Impacts
Storm-related impacts are continuously being assessed across the islands, and inclement weather is still occurring. Gov. Bryan said that many branches have fallen off trees, there is a lot of water on the roadways, and some areas have flooded.
Jaschen reported that he was aware of communication problems caused by the storm and several phone towers that had gone offline.
“We had some impacts [on] some of our cell towers, [and] some of the towers have gone offline,” Jaschen explained.
Jaschen said that six cellular phone towers utilized by Liberty Mobile were offline on Wednesday, including one tower on St. John, two towers on St. Thomas, and three on St. Croix. There have also been reports of issues with T-Mobile phone lines.
“If you have some sporadic phone coverage, that’s because the mobile systems [are] offline,” he stated.
Power outages continue to affect the islands, particularly across St. Croix and St. John. Jaschen said several power feeders are operational on St. Thomas, and the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority is working to address the ongoing power issues.
Jaschen also reminded everyone across the territory to avoid any downed powerlines and to not attempt to cut or move composite poles without the assistance of WAPA.
Additionally, Jaschen shared the news about incidents involving the boating community.
“Regarding the boating community, I was informed that six boats broke their moorings on St. Thomas,” he said. Jaschen also noted that several boaters were rescued on Tuesday night.
“To my understanding, [officials] rescued a couple of boaters last night, [and] everybody is safe and sound right now.”
News was also shared that the National Guard is providing assistance across the islands.
Closures and Additional Updates
Jaschen noted that landfills are closed on Wednesday. However, the Waste Management Authority will soon provide information regarding the locations of debris sites where residents can bring vegetation debris that may have occurred during the cyclone.
Government offices will remain closed on Wednesday.
“Following the impacts from Tropical Storm Ernesto, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. has announced that all government offices will remain closed today to ensure the safety of all employees and the public. This closure pertains to all non-essential government services. Essential emergency services will continue to operate to manage the storm’s aftermath,” according to a Government House press release on Wednesday.
Additionally, Gov. Bryan explained that all public schools will be closed on Thursday.
The governor also said that a decision will be made regarding whether to declare a Territorial State of Emergency, which would provide additional resources for clean-up and repairs caused by Tropical Storm Ernesto.
Stay Informed
The governor urged residents and visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands to remain alert as the severe weather continues.
USVI residents and visitors can find information regarding hurricane preparedness from the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Source Weather Page provides a daily weather forecast, ensuring that USVI residents and visitors can stay updated and prepared. Weather information is regularly obtained from the National Weather Service, and the Source Weather Page also offers the opportunity to view weather forecast videos and disaster preparedness video segments.
