💧 Water and Power · U.S. Virgin Islands
WAPA reported storm restoration progress across St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John
Official document: https://www.viwapa.vi/docs/default-source/2023-pr/press-release-(8.16.24)-wapa-continues-restoration-efforts-following-tropical-storm-ernesto.pdf?sfvrsn=10edc9e0_3
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said on August 16, 2024, that crews were continuing power restoration work across the territory following Tropical Storm Ernesto.
On St. Croix, WAPA said Generation Unit 20 at the Richmond Power Plant lost load at about 2 p.m. on August 16 and was expected to return to service within about an hour. The utility said restoration had reached 89% of customers on the island and that crews were focusing on Feeder 1A in downtown Christiansted, Feeder 6A in the LaValle and Mon Bijou area, Feeder 10B including the Rainforest area, and Feeder 4A in Sion Hill, where the outage affected Free Will Baptist School. Additional crews were assigned to isolated business outages, with emphasis on Frederiksted.
WAPA also said water personnel were addressing low water pressure in Estate Whim, Estate Hannah’s Rest and Frederiksted town. Repairs were expected to be completed on the evening of August 16, with normal pressure returning a few hours after successful repairs.
On St. Thomas, WAPA said Unit 23 tripped at about 2 p.m. on August 16, causing a district-wide outage. The unit was returned to service by 3:30 p.m., according to the utility. WAPA said 68% of customers on St. Thomas had been restored before that outage, including large portions of Feeder 8A in Hospital Ground, Garden Street and nearby neighborhoods, Feeder 6A in Bordeaux, Feeder 8B and Feeder 6B. Crews were expected to continue evening work on Feeder 6A from Blackpoint to Estate Pearl, Feeder 7A from Crown Mountain to Northside, and Feeder 7B, where restoration was delayed by a broken pole.
On St. John, WAPA said restoration had reached 93% by August 16. The utility said line crews, with support from the Department of Public Works, were using heavy equipment to clear large trees blocking access to downed power lines, with work focused on North Shore, Carolina and Trunk Bay.