In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ernesto, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority still grapples with power restoration challenges across the territory, with approximately 160 residents on St. John and 4,000 on St. Thomas remaining in the dark as of Friday night. Meanwhile, WAPA officials reported that over 95 percent of St. Croix had its power restored, attributing the discrepancy between districts to differences in vegetation, terrain, and the number of mudslides and downed poles.
The situation on St. Thomas has been particularly difficult, according to officials, with Feeder 7A emerging as a focal point of frustration. This feeder, which serves the Crown Mountain to Northside area, was already out of service before the storm hit, and it currently has the lowest percentage of restored customers. According to WAPA Communications Director Shanell Petersen, the delay is due to a combination of vegetation issues and the need to fix damaged poles.
A crew was dedicated solely to this feeder on Friday and worked through the night to restore power. Although only one crew was available initially—due to the urgent need to restore power to downtown St. Thomas, where the Randolph Harley Power Plant experienced generation issues—WAPA hopes to allocate two full crews to Feeder 7A on Saturday, with the aim of achieving full restoration soon.
Petersen emphasized that many customers might not realize that even if their immediate area is clear, power cannot be restored until all the poles along the path are also cleared. “Everything on its way to you has to be working,” she explained.
In a significant development, Haugland VI stepped in on Friday, providing five additional crews to assist with the restoration efforts. Petersen acknowledged this as a “game changer,” particularly at a time when the Authority is facing a shortage of linemen. However, the ongoing generation capacity issues on St. Thomas-St. John has complicated the restoration process, making it difficult to test which feeders are still out of service. St. Thomas-St. John has also experienced more intermittent outages than St. Croix, contributing to the faster restoration progress on the big island, she said.
As WAPA continues to battle, its Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight has been making the rounds on local radio stations. During a Friday interview on St. Croix, Knight highlighted the severity of the challenges posed by Tropical Storm Ernesto, suggesting they support a federal emergency declaration.
While the Federal Emergency Management Agency has yet to receive a formal request, Government House spokesman Richard Motta Jr. said in a call with the Source Friday night that efforts are underway to conduct and file the necessary assessments. Motta emphasized the importance of accurately determining the dollar value of damages and restoration costs, drawing on lessons learned from the 2017 hurricanes, where the initial estimated cost of recovery after hurricanes Irma and Maria was $750 million but eventually ballooned to over $20 billion.
Motta stressed that the current priority is to ensure a thorough and accurate assessment to secure the full amount of aid needed.
WAPA’s latest update on Friday highlighted ongoing efforts across the territory. On St. Croix, crews were working to restore power to key areas, including downtown Christiansted and the LaValle and Mon Bijou areas, with 89 percent of the island’s power already restored. St. Thomas saw more progress, with 68 percent of customers restored before a series of district-wide outages occurred due to a tripped unit at the power plant. St. John, meanwhile, had achieved 93 percent restoration, with crews focusing on clearing large trees and repairing downed powerlines.
Residents are urged to stay informed through scheduled radio interviews with WAPA CEO Karl Knight on Saturday and to report any remaining outages to WAPA’s call center, according to WAPA.
