Storm cleanup in full swing across St. Thomas-St. John

ST. THOMAS — Tuesday morning clean-up efforts began in earnest as people ventured out of their homes to assess the damage left in the wake of Hurricane Earl.

Fallen trees and downed power, cable and telephone lines cluttered the roads on St. Thomas and St. John, making some major roadways impassable.

Crews from the V.I. Public Works Department and the V.I. Waste Management Authority were out at the crack of dawn to begin clearing the roads before the government’s curfew was lifted at 9 a.m.

V.I. Water and Power Authority line crews also were out Tuesday trying to restore power and clean up power lines and broken poles. The Donoe Bypass was blocked for part of the day as a crew repaired broken power poles.

In Fortuna, a group of four families worked together to clear a blocked driveway, cutting and moving heavy branches from the road.

“We were all trapped, and we all worked together,” said Jane Higgens as she carried brush from the road.

A few boats suffered during the storm. A large tender to the mega-yacht Shalimar, which spent the storm fighting wind and waves in Brewers Bay, washed up on the beach where it sat on Tuesday morning.

Several sailboats also were damaged. A few washed up on the western shore of Water Island. One in St. Thomas Harbor was dismasted.

Many residents cleaned debris from yards and were thankful that damage was not worse.

Al Battiste, an Anna’s Retreat resident who lost his home in Hurricane Marilyn, said he believed that good building practices helped the island weather the storm.

“We rebuilt the house and built it stronger. It appeared to be a Marilyn wind,” Battiste said as he hacked a fallen tree from yard and tried to free a broken power line.

“My neighbor’s trees took a beating. All my fruit trees came down. Every one,” Battiste said. “I think it was a long night for everyone.”

Public Works

V.I. Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls said his crews tried to keep up with the clean-up as it happened Monday, but he was forced to bring the crews indoors when winds gained strength.

Smalls said the crews were back out on the roads at daybreak. While there was damage all over the St. Thomas-St. John District, the areas most affected were the northern sides of the two islands.

The goal Tuesday was clearing all the major arteries by 2 p.m., Smalls said. By that deadline, the major roads were about 90 percent clear, and by 6 p.m. all major arteries were passable, he said.

Today, Public Works crews will begin to focus on the smaller side roads, and Thursday they will begin  debris removal.

“The next 96 hours will be dedicated to removing debris,” Smalls said.

For now, Public Works crews are placing cleared vegetation and other debris on the side of the road and will come back for it once all the roads are cleared for vehicles. 

Smalls said St. John was a challenge, because the ports were closed and the ferries were not running. However, he said he had several employees who live on St. John, as well as heavy equipment located on the island.

“The crew on St. John was able to clear the major thoroughfare from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay,” Smalls said.

He said he is grateful for the residents who have helped clear debris from the roads in front of their homes because it has made the job go faster, but he cautioned the public that they will not be compensated for the work, it is considered voluntary assistance.

Smalls also said that Public Works crews will not be going onto private property to clear downed trees or debris from yards. However, Smalls said that if residents place the debris on the public roadside the agency will pick it up as part of the debris removal effort. He said Public Works will not be ready for that until next week, and he will let the public know when they can participate.

Innovative

Innovative CEO E. Clarke Garnett said crews were out Tuesday to assess the damage to telephone and cable infrastructure.

He said there were no major problems on St. Croix, but on St. Thomas, the Wintberg remote central office was damaged and affected about 800 telephone and DSL Internet customers.

A major Innovative Cable TV satellite dish was blown off its foundation, which resulted in the loss of a number of cable channels on St. Thomas and St. John.

Garnett said other cable outages are based on the lack of power to the many amplifiers around the territory. The amplifiers — which boost the signal as it gets farther away from the original source — have battery backups, but those do not last very long, he said. The amplifiers are not designed to run off generator power, Garnett said.

“We’re impacted dramatically by power,” Garnett said.

Innovative crews are still making detailed area assessments and restoration plans, which will take another 24 to 48 hours, he said.

Garnett said that most people will not know if they have a cable or telephone outage until the power comes back on at their home or office. He said people should wait to report problems until their power has been restored.

Innovative Business Centers will open today for regular business hours.

Waste Management

The V.I. Waste Management Authority’s crews also were out Tuesday, working in tandem with Public Works to clear debris and empty overflowing bins.

In a news release, Waste Management spokeswoman Stella Saunders said that green waste or yard waste is not to be dumped at the bin sites.

“Only household waste is accepted at the bin sites. All yard waste or green waste is to be taken directly to the landfills on St. Thomas and St. Croix and to the transfer station on St. John,” she said.

Several bins were placed at the entrance to the Bovoni and Anguilla landfills on Tuesday to accept green waste.

Scrap metal, construction or demolition waste, bulk waste or white goods, such as appliances, are to be taken directly to the landfill, Saunders said.

She urged residents to report illegal dumping by calling the Compliance and Environmental Enforcement Division at 712-4956 on St. Croix or 776-4844 ext. 292 for St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island. 

DPNR

V.I. Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Robert Mathes said the department’s Environmental Enforcement Division spent Tuesday making an assessment of stranded or damaged vessels.

He said once the assessment is completed, a contractor will be hired to tow away the wrecked boats.

Before that can happen, DPNR must contact the owner of the vessel and try to have them move the boat, Mathes said.

“This is just the beginning of this process,” Mathes said. “It could take a few days to a few weeks.”

He said Tuesday that enforcement officers were looking for any fuel spills or contaminations at any of the damaged vessel sites.

“That would be our first and foremost priority,” Mathes said.

He said the numbers are undocumented, and likely will be changed in the coming week, but he heard that as many as 30 boats on St. John were damaged, and a dozen or so were found on St. Thomas. On St. Croix only about 10 to 15 boats were damaged, he said.

Mathes also said in a Government House news release that people should avoid swimming in the territory’s waters. Stormwater run-off can carry contaminants into the sea.

“Until we are able to determine the quality of the beach water, it is advisable to avoid swimming in the beaches of the territory,” Mathes said.

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