Virgin Islanders went to bed Monday night lulled by gentle breezes and occasional showers – but knowing that the morning would bring the first taste of whatever Tropical Storm Debby would have to serve up Tuesday.
Shortly before 2 a.m., with sustained winds of 75 mph, Debby became a hurricane.
At 11 p.m., the storm had been centered near 17.2 degrees north latitude and 61.0 degrees west longitude, about 250 miles east of the Virgin Islands. It was moving at 20 mph on a west-northwesterly course that would carry it over the northern Leeward Islands Monday night. Maximum sustained winds were near 70 mph, with tropical storm force winds extending outward up to 175 miles, mainly to the north of the center. The estimated minimum central pressure had dropped to 996 millibars, or 29.41 inches.
Debby strengthened enough to be upgraded to a hurricane Tuesday. A Category 1 hurricane, the lowest in strength, is defined as having sustained winds of at least 74 mph.
In a statement on Radio One News shortly after 11 p.m. Monday, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull announced that he had declared a state of emergency in the territory and was imposing a curfew at midnight effective "until further notice."
The governor also announced that the American Red Cross had opened shelters on the three major islands at 6 p.m.: at the Educational Complex on St. Croix; the Emmaus and Bethany Moravian Churches on St. John; and the Seventh-day Adventist, Nisky Moravian and Blue Water Bible Schools on St. Thomas.
Turnbull said he was imposing the curfew "to allow our emergency forces full range of movement" as Debby passed over the territory. He said storm winds would be felt on St. Croix by 5 a.m. and on St. Thomas and St. John by 6 a.m., and that the storm would "impact the full Virgin Islands by 10 a.m."
Late Monday afternoon, the governor sent President Clinton and Federal Emergency Management Agency director James Lee Witt a request for federal disaster assistance, should Debby do significant damage in the territory. He designated Gen. Cleave McBean, executive director of the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency, as the territorial coordinating officer.
In a 1 p.m. statement, Turnbull had announced a price freeze on "essential" goods and services. The order also prohibited vendors from altering "ordinary delivery methods, terms, discounts, concessions or methods of payment" and from refusing to accept government vouchers during the emergency period.
In that statement, Turnbull also announced that all non-essential government workers would be dismissed at 2 p.m. Meantime, he had directed Finance Commissioner Bernice Turnbull to release the payroll checks due on Thursday to government workers by 1 p.m. Monday, with those for St. Croix flown from St. Thomas to the Big Island by a Justice Department aircraft. And "to accommodate the government employees," he said, banks would remain open until 3 p.m.
Turnbull met Monday morning and again Monday evening with department and agency heads to review storm preparations. As coordinators, he named Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II and administrator Rupert Ross for St. Croix; St. John administrator Julien Harley for that island; and administrator Louis Hill, assisted by Roy Frett from Government House, for St. Thomas and Water Island.
The National Weather Service forecast was for rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches along the path of the storm, possibly causing flash flooding and mudslides. Showers and thunderstorms ahead of Debby were expected to move into territory overnight, with heavy rain continuing Tuesday and intermittently through Tuesday night.
Projections called for coastal flooding, beach erosion and large waves near and to the north of wherever Debby moves ashore. A marine advisory said boaters should not attempt to ride out any storm or hurricane aboard their vessels.
That's a warning Alan Forino, Toni West and their German shepherd-mix companion, Calypso, didn't need. The live-aboards left their boat tied up at Compass Point Marina and took up temporary residence Monday night in West's boutique in Tillett Gardens. Even though the marina is considered a safe haven, "a boat's not a good place to stay in a hurricane," Forino said matter-of-factly.
Just a block away, the Seventh-day Adventist School hurricane shelter was open for business, but during the calm, clear night it had just one taker by 11:30 p.m., Red Cross workers Avery Frett and Lewis Venzen reported. In the next hour, however, a family of four and a couple also checked in.
Knight Quality Stations meteorologist Alan Archer said Debby should be over Tortola by daybreak, St. Thomas by noon, and northwest Puerto Rico by Tuesday night.
Archer said the strongest portion of the storm is the east side, and on Tuesday afternoon, St. Thomas and St. John can expect "a rapid increase in wind." While Debby has not been strengthening because of the impact of another weather system with drier air, he said, the storm should re-intensify Tuesday night while moving west from Puerto Rico toward Hispaniola.
