V.I. public schools will remain closed Wednesday, allowing for staff to come in and clean up the damage left by Hurricane Earl, Gov. John deJongh Jr. announced Tuesday evening.
Several schools were littered with debris and flooded from the storm, which passed through the territory Monday. All Education Department employees — including administrators, teachers, maintenance and custodial staff — are to report in Wednesday for regular hours to help get the campuses ready for opening day.
Bus transportation and the school lunch program are suspended until the schools are reopened.
"While the opening of schools remains our number one priority, we must ensure that our children return to a safe and clean environment," deJongh said. Education, Public Works and other agencies will also be helping out Tuesday evening and throughout Wednesday, he added.
An extended curfew, from 11 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday, is in effect for St. Thomas-St. John, but once that’s passed, government will be back up and running, and all employees are to come in at the regular times for work.
Meanwhile, almost all seaports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were reopened around 3 p.m. Tuesday by the U.S. Coast Guard, but boaters are being urged to continue monitoring the weather as Tropical Storm Fiona moves closer.
Still closed until further notice, however, is the port in Limetree Bay, St. Croix, which Coast Guard teams are "aggressively" working to reopen as soon as possible, according to a Tuesday release.
The airports were opened earlier Tuesday, and officials were urging residents with flights to get in touch with the airlines to check on cancellations and arrivals.
Contacted by phone Tuesday evening, V.I. Water and Power Authority head Hugo Hodge Jr. said his crews had made good headway restoring power on each island. By about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, about 50 percent of the power on St. John was back, along with 70 percent on St. Croix, and 30 to 40 percent on St. Thomas.
St. John and St. Croix should be completed Wednesday, he added, but St. Thomas — particularly with the number of downed lines and poles on the north side and west end — might extend into Thursday. The majority of St. Thomas, however, should be finished Wednesday, Hodge added.
