ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands (17 Sep 2004) -- A second barrage of rains and thunderstorms caused flooding, damage to roads and sporadic outages on St. Croix on Thursday. Forecasters say the remnants of Tropical Storm Jeanne are expected to linger over the territory, particularly the St. Thomas-St. John District, through Saturday. Christiansted appeared deserted as few businesses reopened for business Thursday. Schools remained closed, but more motorists were on the roads despite warnings from emergency officials, and hundreds remained without power. V.I. Water and Power Authority and V.I. Public Works Department crews worked around the clock Thursday to restore power and clear roadways. The effort continues today and possibly into this weekend. Public Works Assistant Commissioner Robert Moorehead said on Thursday that the sewer system on St. Croix again experienced high volumes of storm runoff flowing into the system through manholes. The system was overwhelmed after Wednesday's deluge. "What we have is stormwater infiltration into our sewer lines," Moorehead said. "Stormwater goes down into the sewer system through the manholes, causing a lot of volume of water going to our pump stations." The LBJ Pump Station operated on a backup system Thursday, and the department bypassed sewage flow over Long Reef on St. Croix's north shore to lower the level of water in the sewage system below manhole levels. Manholes on King Street, Christiansted, and in the Gallows Bay area again were thrown open after water overflowed from sewers and storm drains. Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett said the bypass is a mixture of stormwater and sewage, and residents are advised to avoid beach areas from Christiansted Wharf to Golden Rock. Wet wells at the Figtree Pump Station on St. Croix's south shore, which also operated on a backup system, reached "dangerous levels" Moorehead said, but there was no need for bypassing. The Lagoon Street Pump Station in Frederiksted was fully operational and experienced no problems. Crews were out traveling St. Croix's main roads from 6 a.m. Thursday, removing trees and branches. Moorehead said once the main roads - Queen Mary and Melvin Evans highways - were cleared, crews would begin clearing feeder or lateral roads that lead to the highways. Moorehead said the department experienced few flooding problems after Wednesday's deluge because Public Works crews have been clearing roadsides, guts and drainage ditches for the last several weeks. But the additional rain on Thursday washed leaves, tree branches and debris into guts and drains, clogging them and causing minor flooding in numerous roads and intersections - and more serious situations in flood-prone areas like Frangipani. With the ground still saturated, there may be more fallen trees around the island today, he said. | | Manholes on King Street, Christiansted, and in the Gallows Bay area again were thrown open after water overflowed from sewers and storm drains. "We're doing the best we can," Moorhead said. "We asking people to be patient with us." Moorehead said the heavy rains partially washed out a road near Free Will Baptist School in Estate Sion Hill. "We were contacted by residents who said the road was impassable," Moorehead said. He said crews began repairing the road Thursday. WAPA Executive Director Alberto Bruno-Vega said power had been restored to all customers on St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island and to 90 percent of customers on St. Croix. All feeders on the island are energized, Bruno-Vega said, but WAPA crews worked around the clock to restore power to small pockets of customers in various locations who were without power, Bruno-Vega said. All day Thursday, WAPA crews traveled the island, replacing damaged transformers, repairing downed lines and removing branches and debris from lines. Two additional crews from St. Thomas traveled to St. Croix on Thursday evening to help out. WAPA spokeswoman Cassandra Dunn said that with the added crews, the restoration process will move faster. Most of the power problems were caused by strong winds, Bruno-Vega said. Thursday's heavy rains on St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island did not cause many problems. On St. Croix, Public Works crews also worked to clear a road leading to Recovery Hill to allow WAPA crews access to damaged power lines caused by a downed communications tower. The V.I. Police Department moved services offered at the Ancilmo Marshall Command in Bassin Triangle, Christiansted, to the Ann Schrader Command in La Reine because of flooding problems, police officials said. SOURCE - Virgin Islands Daily News |
