As Of Monday, 38 Percent Of St. Thomas, 19 Percent Of St. Croix And 14 Percent Of St. John Had Been Restored With Power. Here’s The Latest Update

During his press briefing on Monday, Governor Kenneth Mapp revealed that 38 percent of St. Thomas, 19 percent of St. Croix and 14 percent of St. John had been restored with power.

Below, find the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority’s latest restoration update.

ELECTRIC SYSTEM

• On St. Croix, restoration and reconstruction work continued in the Sion Farm area where additional poles were planted on Wednesday. Primary circuits in Barren Spot as well as some residents in Hannah’s Rest will be energized by the end of the week. Crews worked on sections of Feeders 2A, 4A and 6B with Hotel on the Cay and Company House Hotel on Feeder 1A was expected to be restored on Wednesday night. Crews continued to troubleshoot issues around the Watergut housing community that have prevented full service restoration.
• On St. Thomas, crews energized commercial and residential customers in Estates Tutu and Anna’s Retreat as well as Estate Thomas.  Primary circuits on Feeders 7A and 8A, from the Harley power plant to Nisky Center, were energized. Crews worked on Feeder 6A near Fortuna and on the St. Peter Mountain Road, as well as in Wintberg and Mandahl.
• On St. John, Caneel Bay Resort was restored Wednesday and work continues to restore additional primary circuits on both Feeders 7E and 9E. Crews are also working on the roadway leading to the Westin Resort.
• Traffic flow will be affected across the territory Thursday as restoration work continues. On St. Thomas, crews will work in Frenchman’s Bay, Wintberg, Mandahl, Tutu, Four Winds, Estate Thomas, Fredenhoj, Red Hook, and on St. Peter Mountain Road. On St. John, crews will work on the road toward the Westin Resort as well as on Feeders 7E and 9E. On St. Croix, work will continue in Estate Strawberry towards Barren Spot, Estate Ruby, Hannah’s Rest, Christiansted and Frederiksted towns. Motorists are advised to adhere to the directions of flaggers, military police and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control. Additionally, motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes and avoid the work areas when possible.
•  WAPA advises residents that it is necessary to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
• All electrical problems must be reported to the WAPA Emergency Call Centers to be properly documented and tracked. These problems include, but are not limited to, electrical service interruptions as well as damaged and downed facilities such as poles, transformers, and power lines. The Emergency Call Centers operate 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., seven days per week. St. Thomas – St. John: 340-774-1424 and St. Croix: 340-773-0150.
• WAPA personnel has removed electrical meters at locations where damage was apparent to either an electrical meter base and/or weather head. Home and business owners are advised to make repairs to their damaged weather heads and/or meter bases as soon as possible. Once crews have reached your neighborhood, those customers who have not had their weather head or meter base repaired, will not have service immediately restored. Additionally, customers and electricians are reminded that it is against the law to remove or otherwise destroy meter seals. If work needs to be done to repair a damaged meter base and or weather head, contact WAPA’s Emergency Call Centers which operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.

POTABLE WATER SYSTEM

• There are seven days of emergency water storage on St. John, ten days on St. Thomas and six days on St. Croix.
• The potable water standpipe in Subbase St. Thomas is off line due to technical challenges. Efforts continue to restore service to the standpipe as quickly as possible. On St. John, the potable water standpipe will be on line in a few days.
• WAPA reminds the public that a precautionary boil water notice for potable water customers is in place territory-wide. Due to a drop in water pressure, as a precaution, we advise that all water used for drinking, cooking, making infant formula or juices, making ice, brushing teeth, washing fruits or vegetables and washing dishes, be boiled. Bringing water to a rolling boil and maintaining for one full minute is sufficient.  Water must be adequately cooled before it can be used and should be stored in clean, covered containers. As an alternative, bottled water certified for sale by the Department of Health may be used.
• WAPA urges clean-up contractors and homeowners in both districts to exercise caution when piling debris on and around potable water meters. There are a growing number of instances where water meters are being damaged by clean-up equipment grading debris and causing damage to the roadside water meters. The continued damage by heavy equipment poses difficulty in maintaining or restoring potable water service to customers.

OTHER INFORMATION

• Emergency Call Centers operate 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., seven days a week.
• St. Thomas – St. John district, 340-774-1424; St. Croix district, 340-773-0150
• WAPA telephone contact: St. Thomas – St. John district, 340-774-3552; St. Croix district, 340-773-2250
• Customer Service Offices are now operating Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and at Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas
• WAPA website: www.viwapa.vi