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Gov. John P. de Jongh Jr. and VITEMA Director Elton Lewis continued a broad coordination of the local government’s preparations as the intensity and track of the Tropical Storm Maria remain uncertain for the Virgin Islands.
At 6 p.m., Gov. de Jongh and Lewis convened the final conference call of the day with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 2 Administrator Lynn Canton, Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen, the US Coast Guard, St. Croix Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michael Dembeck, St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Joe Aubain, Executive director of the VI Hotel and Tourism Association Lisa Hamilton, members of the Virgin Islands Emergency Management Council, and the National Weather Service for the latest track and forecast of Tropical Storm Maria and for a comprehensive review on both the local and federal government’s preparations for the impending weather system.
According to National Weather Service senior meteorologist Rafael Mojica, although forecast indicates Tropical Storm Maria is expected to diminish into a tropical depression, models that predict storm intensification are not always accurate.
“I cannot emphasize enough the uncertainty of the track of Tropical Storm Maria. We have to consider the possibility of re-intensification as the storm passes the Antilles, across Guadeloupe,” Mojica said. “It’s uncertain and we have to get ready for the possibility of warnings on short notice. We may have to issue a tropical storm warning without the 36-hour lead time that we like to stick to.”
At 8 p.m. tonight, the center of Tropical Storm Maria was located near 13.2 North, 53.6 west or about 806 miles east-southeast of St. Croix. Maria is moving toward the west at near 21 miles per hour. A turn to the west-northwest with a decrease in forward speed is expected on Friday.
Top winds are near 40 miles per hour with higher gusts. Maria is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression during the next day or two while moving across the Leeward Islands and the Eastern Caribbean. However, if weakening does not occur, tropical storm warnings will be required for some of the Leeward Islands. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 175 miles to the north of the center.
On the forecast track, the center of Maria will come within ten miles of St. Croix's northeastern coastline at 8 pm Saturday while passing 26 miles to the southwest of St. John around 10 pm Saturday and 18 miles southwest of St. Thomas at 11 pm Saturday.
The 5 pm forecast puts tropical storm force winds across St. Thomas and St. John beginning at 10 pm Saturday. The tropical storm winds should begin to subside by early Sunday morning.
Gov. de Jongh thanked FEMA and other federal partners for their continued support even as Tropical Storm Maria appears to be weakening. He urged emergency managers and members of his Cabinet to continue the closely monitor the system as its track remains unclear and could quickly change. “Even though this appears to be disintegrating it is our responsibility to continue to be very vigilant and to ensure we are prepared to respond,” he said.
The government’s preparations are ongoing for the Tropical Storm Maria.
Sandbags
The Department of Public Works will issue sandbags between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday. Sandbags are available at the Department of Public Works’ facilities in both the St. Croix and St. Thomas-St. John districts. Public Works’ facilities are located at Anna’s Hope and Estate Concordia on St. Croix, at Sub-Base in St. Thomas and at Susannaberg in St. John.
Bags and sand can also be obtained from the following Fire Stations:
- Cotton Valley Fire Station and Grove Place on St. Croix.
- Tutu, Fortuna and Fort Christian on St. Thomas.
For more information on the locations and issuance of sandbags call the Department of Public Works at 773-1290 on St. Croix, 774-4617 on St. Thomas and 776-6346 on St. John.
Shelters
The Departments of Human Services, Property and Procurement, and Education along with the American Red Cross have begun to organize for the possibility of shelters opening across the Territory this weekend. Volunteers are on standby and have begun to make preparations. The Department of Health is also prepared to activate its Emergency Operation Center and to open Special Needs Shelters on St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas, if necessary.
Ports
The VI Port Authority and the Department of Tourism reported that flights have not been cancelled as of 6 p.m. on Thursday and that no ships are scheduled to call on the Territory between Friday and Sunday. According to Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty currently there are approximately 3,000 visitors in the Territory — 1,200 on St. Thomas and the remainder split almost evenly between St. Croix and St. John. The Tourism Department is prepared to activate its emergency information website which provides vital safety information for visitors to the Territory.
US Coast Guard Commander, Lt. John Adkins, reported to Gov. de Jongh that at 8 p.m. waterfront facilities should be removing potential flying debris, hazardous materials and pollutants from dockside areas and that all inbound and outbound vessels greater than 200 gross tons should be preparing to leave the port or should have received permission from the Captain of Port to stay in port. The US Coast Guard likely will increase restrictions on all inbound and outbound traffic on Friday, he said.
Boating Community
The Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) has advised all boaters to begin making necessary preparations for Tropical Storm Maria, as well as provided the location of safe havens throughout the Territory.
On St. Croix the boater safe haven is located at Salt River, and on St. Thomas, safe havens are located at Benner Bay, Mandahl Pond, and Flamingo Bay. According to DPNR Commissioner Alicia Barnes, initial entry into the havens will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Enforcement officers will be available to assist boaters in maintaining an organized entry and site location for vessels or to resolve difficult situations.
Hurricane Hole on St. John is under the Jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS), and boaters must coordinate with the NPS’ Chief Ranger of Protection at 693-8201 for assigned mooring location.
Price Freeze
A prize freeze will be issued by the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs on Friday morning to prevent price gouging as residents rush to purchase grocery items and fuel in anticipation of storm impact.
Emergency Response Operations
The VI Police Department, VI Fire Service and the VI Water and Power Authority also reported that they stand ready to respond. The VI Waste Management Authority is set to issue news releases on Friday on the early collection of waste and to notify the public of flood-prone areas where manhole covers are known to dislodge.
VITEMA has partially activated its Emergency Operation Centers (EOC) territorywide, which means that emergency services coordinators have been placed on high alert for possible full activation of the EOC on Saturday. At 7 p.m. emergency services coordinators across the Territory held a joint conference call to discuss full activation of the
EOC.
FEMA Region 2 Administrator Lynn Canton announced that the FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) is arriving in the Territory and will be split between the two districts. The team will be imbedded with VITEMA Emergency Operations Center to assist the Territory in its response effort.
The Office of the Governor and VITEMA continues to urge residents to closely monitor news on Tropical Storm Maria for possible watches and warnings, which may be issued as early as Friday.
“It’s important that everyone begin to prepare for what is expected to be significant rain event,” Lewis said. “Individuals and families should have essential emergency supplies on hand to last for at least three days, including dry goods and water, and should be ready to react if flooding is observed.”
For more information on how to preparedness steps visit
www.VITEMA.gov. VITEMA also encourages residents to register at
www.VITEMA.gov for VI Alert to receive free real-time alerts and notifications from the National Weather Service.
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