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The Department of Human Services is announcing the immediately closure of offices and Head Start Centers in the west end area of St. Croix due to the gaseous odor in the area and parents are being asked to pick up their children as soon as possible.
The Head Start Centers to close include those at following locations:
Profit, Kingshill, Glynn, William’s Delight, Mount Pleasant, Concordia, Campo Rico, Frederiksted (Claude O. Markoe Elementary School), Marley housing community, and Prince Street, Frederiksted.
In addition, the Richmond Head Start Center is closing after lunch due to plumbing issues. Parents are encouraged to pick up their children as well.
Human Services has also closed its Division of Family Assistance, which affects all the division’s programs including SNAP (formerly Food Stamp), and cash assistance programs. Persons with appointments will be contacted to reschedule their appointments.
Division of Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Unit in the Kingshill Office also is closed and clients will be contacted to reschedule appointments.
Kingshill Community Rehabilitation Center will also be closed today. Clients will be contacted on Monday.
Aldersville Senior Citizen Center clients are attending an event scheduled for today in honor of Older American’s Month.
Division of Maintenance and Transportation Main Office in Diamond will be closed with the exception of the Home Delivered Meals staff who will continue to deliver meals to clients. Staff will be on alert and contacted by their Supervisor as needed. Homemaker staff are to report to work and will be directed by their supervisors.
The Department of Human Services has NOT closed the Herbert Grigg Home for the Aged. Residents continue to be cared for by staff and monitored by health care providers. Residents are being kept indoors and family members are encouraged to call to check on their loved ones.
The Department of Education also announced the closure of nine schools in addition to three that were announced on Thursday.
Those schools are: Lew Muckle Elementary, Ricardo Richards Elementary School, Claude O Markoe Elementary School, Alexander Henderson Elementary School, Evelyn Williams Elementary School, Eulalie Rivera Elementary School, Alfredo Andrews Elementary School, Arthur A. Richards Junior High, Educational Complex High School, St. Croix Central High School, Charles H. Emmanuel Elementary School and John H. Woodson Junior High School. This is a total of 12 schools closed in the district.
The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency’s 911 Emergency Communications Center received calls in the early morning hours on Friday, from residents at Frederiksted complaining of strong gaseous odor in the air.
The Department of Health has been notified and is advising Frederiksted residents with compromised immune systems to stay indoors as much as possible, to close windows and use a fan, to keep medications nearby and to seek medical care if they feel ill as a result of the strong odor.
VITEMA also issued public health advisories via VI Alert to St. Croix residents registered for the free service.
The Department of Planning and Natural Resources also is currently responding to the complaints and is scheduled to meet with
Hovensa.
The community will be informed as more information becomes available.
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