55 Percent Of Territory Now Energized, Mapp Says; 35 Percent To Go In 13 Days

Governor Kenneth Mapp announced at his Monday hurricane recovery press briefing, which the governor said would be his last weekly recovery-related press event, that the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, along with its 811 linemen had restored 55 percent of the territory as of Monday. The breakdown sees St. Thomas making the most progress with 61 percent restoration, 67 percent on St. John, St. Croix with 46 percent and Water Island with 98.3 percent. “One home and a beach house left to go,” the governor said of Water Island.

With Christmas just 13 days away, will WAPA meet its goal of 90 percent restoration? The company hasn’t amended goal.

Find the latest update below.

As the restoration of service continues in both districts by WAPA Line Department personnel as well as on and off-island contractors, some customers in the following areas are targeted for service restoration this week and into the weekend:

St. Croix: All for the Better, Annas Hope, Barren Spot, Estate Bethlehem / Middle Works, Castle Burke, Catherine’s Rest, Clifton Hill, Coakley Bay, Concordia, Constitution Hill, Cotton Valley, Diamond, Enfield Green, Glynn, Golden Rock, Grapetree Bay, Green Cay, Grove Place,  Humbug, Judith’s Fancy, La Grande Princesse, Lorraine Village, Mon Bijou, Mount Pleasant, Mount Welcome, North Slob, North Street, Orange Grove, Paradise, Parara, Peppertree Terrace, Peter’s Rest, Profit Hills, Richmond, Ruby, Shoys, Shoys Pump, Sight, Smithfield, Solitude, South Slob, Southgate, St. Georges, Teague Bay, Tipperary, Turner Hole, Two Brothers, Two Williams, Union & Mount Washington, Upper Bethlehem and Whim. On Monday, 600 customers restored.

St. Thomas:  Annas Retreat, Bakkeroe, Blackbeard’s Hill, Bolongo, Bonne Esperance, Bonne Resolution, Bordeaux, Botany Bay, Bovoni, Contant, Crown & Hawk, Estate Hoffman, Estate Hope, Estate Pearl, Estate Thomas, Fortuna, Frenchman Bay, Frydenhoj, Hidden Valley, Hospital Ground, Jeppesgang, Lerkenlund, Lindbergh Bay, Lytton Fancy, Mandahl, Mariendahl, Nazareth, Norre Gade, Nye Gade, Red Hook Road, Weymouth Rhymer Highway / Donoe, Santa Maria, Sapphire Village, Smith Bay, Solberg, St. Joseph & Rosendahl, Subbase, Taarneberg, Tabor & Harmony, Tutu, Tutu High Rise I, Water Island, Watergate and Wintberg. 330 customers were restored on St. Thomas Monday.

St. John: Crews are fanned out across Cruz Bay and Coral Bay restoring service to customers. On St. John Monday, 320 customers were restored in areas including: Calabash Boom, Bordeaux, Carolina and Ajax Peak.

⇒Customers are advised that WAPA continues to receive regular shipments of materials and supplies in both districts to complete the power restoration. Crews are awaiting shipments of transformers in both districts, which are vital to the continued restoration of service. The transformers are expected on island this week and will be dispatched for continued restoration.

• On Tuesday, the Valdemar Hill Sr. Drive, “Skyline Drive” on St. Thomas, will again be closed to vehicular traffic from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and again from 1–4 p.m., as crews continue reconstruction and restoration work. The road closure will be in effect from the intersection of Louisenhoj Castle to the Donoe Bypass. Area residents will be allowed to access their homes during the road closure. Alternate routes are available for motorists who must traverse the area. On St. Croix, Pine Street in Estate Whim will be closed for a period of time Tuesday while crews work in the area.
• The WAPA Customer Service office on St. John will operate on an abbreviated schedule until further notice. The office will open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Due to Internet connectivity challenges, only checks, certified checks and money orders will be accepted as forms of payment. Customers must provide account numbers in order to process all transactions.

Residents are reminded of the need 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: All pump stations are on line and functioning normally. There are five days of emergency water storage on St. Croix, seven      days on St. John and eight days on St. Thomas. The potable water standpipe in Subbase, St. Thomas will be brought on line this week

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. On St. John, the Customer Service Office at The Marketplace operates Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Emergency Call Centers operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. To contact the call center, call C40-774-1424 on St. Thomas – St. John, and 340-773-0150 on St. Croix.