Breaking

WAPA has identified areas in which crews will focus reconstruction and restoration work throughout the next week. The crews include WAPA Line Department personnel as well as on and off-island contractors.
On St. Thomas, these areas include: Nazareth, Smith Bay, Coki Point, Cassi Hill, Anna’s Retreat toward Tutu Valley, Bordeaux, Crown Mountain and from the Four Corners intersection toward Mountain Top.
On St. John, crews will continue restoration work from Coral Bay toward George Simmonds Terrace.
On St. Croix, work will be focused in Catherine’s Rest, La Reine, Strawberry, White Bay, White Lady, William’s Delight, the container port, La Grande Princesse toward Morning Star, Divi Carina Bay Resort and the south shore. Crews will also be deployed to the rainforest area where there is extensive work including tree trimming and electrical system reconstruction.
Additional manpower has arrived in both districts to augment the restoration, and another shipment of supplies, materials and equipment is en route to the territory.
On Friday, crews in both districts reported continued progress with the restoration effort.
On St. Croix, commercial customers were restored including Wendy’s, Business World, Mc Donald’s in La Reine, the Cotton Valley Fire Station and the Pelican Cove Condos. Both reconstruction and restoration work continued in residential areas including La Grande Princesse, White Bay, White Lady, Paradise and Hermon Hill.
On St. Thomas, work continued in Mandahl, Anna’s Retreat toward Tutu Valley, Smith Bay, Coki Point, Red Hook, and Mariendahl. Additional customers were energized on Water Island as well as in Bordeaux, Santa Maria, Caret Bay, Crown Mountain, Scott Free, Savan and Frenchman’s Bay. Reconstruction work, including the planting of poles and stringing lines, continues on Feeder 8B toward Peterborg, and on Feeder 10A from Subbase along Harwood Highway toward Cancryn Junior High School.
On St. John, crews continue to work in Coral Bay readying circuits for restoration of customers.
Through an agreement reached with the Department of Planning & Natural Resources, WAPA will restore electrical service to homes with temporary roofs (blue roofs) once a licensed electrician has certified, in writing, that the structure is safe to energize.
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, customers must call the Emergency Call Center at 340-774-1424 on St. Thomas-St. John or 340-773-0150 on St. Croix. The call centers operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
If your electric meter was removed by WAPA personnel to facilitate repairs to either a meter base and/or weather head, once repairs are completed and a licensed electrician certifies the work in writing, customers are required to contact the Customer Service office. All fees usually associated with meter removal and reconnection have been waived during this restoration period. Customer service offices operate Monday-Friday, 9 am – 4 pm at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas.
Reconstruction, restoration and hurricane debris removal crews are deployed across the islands. Motorists are asked to exercise caution when driving through the work areas and to heed the directions of flaggers and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control.
WAPA urges residents 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.

POTABLE WATER SYSTEM

There are six days of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days on St. Thomas, and five days on St. Croix.
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

WAPA telephone contact: St. Thomas – St. John district, 340-774-3552; St. Croix district, 340-773-2250
Customer Service Offices operate Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and at Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas.
The latest information on the restoration effort is available on the WAPA website, www.viwapa.vi and on Facebook: Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority.