In July, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority made known that more than 7,060 composite poles were slated to be installed across the U.S. Virgin Islands, and said the new poles could withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour.
That’s stronger the a Category 5 hurricane.
But during Category 1 Dorian, a composite pole broke at the root in the St. Thomas-St. John District. The factors surrounding the downing, however, may not be as simple as the video above makes it look.
The pole was connected to other poles, of course, and some lines were impacted by trees — which, ostensibly, brought down the composite pole with it.
Nonetheless, seeing the stunning demise of the composite pole had people on our Facebook platform questioning their veracity.