March 10th, 2018 – The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) announced that electricity had been restored to all eligible customers in the territory. In the wake of hurricanes Irma and Maria, two Category 5 storms in September, approximately 55,000 customers of WAPA were left without service. A joint effort by WAPA, FEMA, Haugland Energy, BBC Electric, mutual aid utilities, other off-island contractors and on-island contractors led to the restoration of service to 90 percent of eligible customers within 100 days.
January 17, 2018 – WAPA will begin a No Customer Left Behind campaign on St. Croix and St. Thomas. Similar to the ongoing effort on St. John, the No Customer Left Behind program is aimed at reconnecting all customers who can be restored to the electric grid, and who may have been bypassed during the first phase of service restoration.
“As the territory-wide restoration effort nears completion, the No Customer Left Behind campaign will allow residents in both districts an opportunity to inform WAPA if they have not yet been restored. This includes customers who are either missing service connections to their weather heads, missing meters, or who were bypassed because their weather head and/or meter base was not ready to be reenergized in previous stages of the restoration,” said Clinton Hedrington, Jr., Acting Executive Director / CEO of WAPA.
Three hotline numbers have been established: St. Croix, 340-715-8022, St. John, 340-715-8020 and St. Thomas, 340-715-8021. In addition, WAPA has established texting options for customers to request restoration. Customers can text their account number and request restoration of service to the following numbers: On St. Croix, 340-244-9004 and on St. Thomas – St. John, 340-244-8072. The customer’s information will be collected by a WAPA employee on the respective island, and will then be channeled to the appropriate divisions so restoration can be scheduled. “The goal is once a customer makes contact with the No Customer Left Behind hotline, assuming all documentation is in order, that customer will be restored within three days,” he added. Customers who cannot experience service restoration within three days will be contacted and provided with a projected restoration date.
As of Monday, more than 46,000 customers have been restored territory-wide, which represents approximately 95% of customers eligible for restoration.
WAPA customers who have not yet been restored, are encouraged to call or text the No Customer Left Behind hotline on their respective island. We continue to Recover, Rebuild & Restore. WAPA…Working for You!!
January 6, 2018 – RESTORATION UPDATE
- Restoration work continued across the territory this week with service restored to an additional 1,762 customers since January 1. Restoration levels now stand at 92% on St. Croix, 99% on St. John, and 91% on St. Thomas.
- A No Customer Left Behind campaign is underway on St. John aimed at reconnecting all customers who can be restored to the electric grid, and who may have been bypassed during the first phase of service restoration. Similar campaigns will be launched for St. Thomas and St. Croix as we get closer to the end of restoration on those islands. A No Customer Left Behind telephone hotline number, 340-715-8020, has been established for St. John customers to call. The customer’s information will be collected by a WAPA employee on St. John, and will then be channeled to the appropriate divisions so restoration can be scheduled. The goal is once a customer makes contact with the No Customer Left Behind hotline, assuming all documentation is in order, that customer will be restored within 72 hours.
- Self-service payment kiosks are available at the Customer Service offices on St. Croix and St. Thomas during normal business hours, and at Petrus Plaza on St. Thomas, seven days a week, 6 am -11 pm.
- Customer Service Offices operate Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Sunny Isle on St. Croix, at Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas, and at The Marketplace on St. John 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- WAPA is issuing bills for electrical and water service provided prior to September 6. Late fees usually assessed after the due date are being waived. However, customers are being encouraged to make payment once they have received their bills. Again, these bills are for services provided prior to Hurricane Irma.
- Customers are advised that WAPA continues to receive regular shipments of materials and supplies in both districts to complete the restoration. Transformers, which are vital to the continue restoration of service, are being dispatched with crews as soon as they arrive.
- Licensed electricians must certify, in writing, that a structure covered by a blue roof is safe to re-energize before electrical restoration can take place.
- If your electrical meter was removed by WAPA, you are required to complete repairs to the meter base and or weather head, have the work certified, in writing, by a licensed electricians and notify the Customer Service office that the repair work has been completed. All meter removal and associated reconnection fees have been waived during this restoration period.
December 26, 2017 ELECTRIC SYSTEM
- Restoration crews worked throughout the holiday weekend to restore service to approximately 2,700 customers between Friday and Tuesday. On Christmas Day, more than 600 customers were restored across the territory.
- On St. Croix, additional customers were restored in Anna’s Hope, Bugby Hole, Calquahoun, Cane, Carlton, Castle Coakley, Catherine’s Rest, Clifton Hill, Concordia, Cotton Valley, Diamond Ruby, Glynn, Grange Hill, Grove Place, Hermon Hill, Hogensborg, Jealousy Ridge, La Grange, Little La Grange, Lorraine Village, Mon Bijou, Mountain, Montpellier, Morningstar, Mount Pleasant, Pearl, Peter’s Rest, Prosperity, Sion Farm, Smithfield, St. George’s Hill, St. John, Two Brothers, Two Williams, Upper Love, Vista Mar, Work & Rest, and Whim.
- On St. Thomas, customers were restored in several neighborhoods including: Altona & Welgunst, Annas Retreat, Bolongo Bay, Bonne Resolution, Bovoni, Crown Bay, Frenchman’s Bay, Frydenhoj, Hospital Ground, Hull Bay, Krum Bay, Lerklenlund, Louisenhoj, Nazareth, Smith Bay, St. Peter, Subbase, Vessup Bay, Wintberg and Zufriedenheit.
- On St. John, crews restored service to customers in Catherineberg, Concordia, Carolina, Calabash Boom and Mandahl.
- Crews will continue restoration work in the following locations through the rest of this week and into the weekend:
- On St. Croix: Anna’s Hope, Barren Spot, Belvedere, Bethlehem, Bethlehem/Middle Works, Bethlehem/New Works, Betsy’s Jewel, Brooks Hill, Calquahoun, Cane Bay, Cane Valley, Carlton, Cassava Gardens, Castle Coakley, Castle Nugent, Catherine’s Rest, Catherine’s Hope, Clairmont, Concordia, Constitution Hill, Cotton Grove, Diamond, Diamond Ruby, Glynn, Golden Grove, Golden Rock, Granard, Grange Garden, Great Pond, Grove Place, Herbert Grigg, Hibiscus Point, Hogensborg, Howard Wall Camp, Industrial Park, Jolly’s Hill, Judith’s Fancy, Karaval, Kingshill, La Grande Princesse, La Vallee, Little Fountain, Little La Grange, Longford, Lorraine Village, Lower Love, Mon Bijou, Morning Star, Mountain, Mount Pellier, Mount Pleasant, Negro Bay, North Shore Road, Peter’s Rest, Petronella, Plessen, Reflection Bay, River, Sally’s Fancy, Smithfield, Springfield, St. John, Two Williams, Union & Mount Washington, Upper Bethlehem, Upper Love, Whim and Work & Rest.
- On St. John: Carolina, Upper Carolina at Cereus Court, East End Road, Mamey Peak, National Park South East, Stonehouse on Upper Carolina, Chicago Hill and Ben Runnels Gut.
- On St. Thomas: Annas Retreat, Bakkero, Blackbeard’s Hill, Bolongo, Bonne Resolution, Bovoni, Bovoni Landfill, Coki Point Beach, Contant, Crown Bay, Deck Point Road, Dorothea, Estate Elizabeth, Hope, Hull, Pearl, Frenchman’s Bay, Frydendahl, Frydenhoj, Hassel Island, Hidden Valley, Hill Street, Hospital Ground, Hull Bay, Kongens Gade, Krum Bay, Lerkenlund, Lilliendahl & Marienhoj, Lindbergh Bay, Magens Bay Road, Mandahl, Mariendahl, Misgunst, Nazareth, Vessup Bay, Nazareth Bay Road, Neltjberg, Norre Gade, Nye Gade, Peterborg, Red Hook Road, Rhymer Highway / Donoe, Ridge Road, Rosendahl, Sapphire Village, Smith Bay, Solberg, St. Joseph & Rosendahl, St. Peter, Subbase, Taarneberg, Tabor & Harmony, Tutu, Vessup Lane, Wintberg, and Yacht Club Road.
- WAPA crews and meter services personnel are deployed in many of these locations ensuring that all customers whose homes or businesses are ready to be reconnected to the electric grid, are restored. This effort is aimed at those customers who may have been bypassed or whose homes or businesses were not ready to be reenergized during the first wave of restoration. Any customer who has had damage to a meter base and/or weather head and has completed repairs, is urged to secure certification of the repairs, in writing, from their licensed electrician. The certification must then be submitted to the Customer Service office so restoration can be scheduled. While today not every customer is restored, our commitment to our community remains…No Customer Will Be Left Behind.
- Reconstruction, restoration and hurricane debris removal crews are staged across the islands. Motorists are asked to exercise caution when driving through the work areas and to heed the directions of flaggers and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control.
- Residents are reminded of the need to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
- The WAPA Customer Service office on St. John will operate on a limited schedule until further notice. The office will open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Due to internet connectivity challenges, limited service will be available at this location. Only checks, certified checks and money orders will be accepted as a form of payment. Cash and credit card payments will not be accepted until further notice. Customers must provide account numbers in order to process all transactions.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
- There are six days of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days on St. Thomas, and five days on St. Croix.
December 18, 2017 – HURRICANE RESTORATION UPDATE
ELECTRIC SYSTEM
• Approximately 30,500 customers have been restored to date.
• Reconstruction and restoration work continued Monday in areas including:
St. Croix: Upper Love, Grove Place, All for the Better, Work & Rest, Catherine’s Rest, Slob, Mon Bijou, Whim, Wiliam’s Delight, Cane, Constitution Hill, Castle Coakley and Carlton Condos.
St. John: Adrian, Carolina, Bordeaux, Catherineberg and Zootenvaal.
St. Thomas: East and West Caret Bay, Solberg, Skyline Drive, Peterborg, Hawk Hill, Bakkero and Flag Hill.
• Priority reconstruction and restoration work areas include:
St. Croix: All for the Better, Anna’s Hope, Barren Spot, Bethlehem/Middle Works, Calquahoun, Carlton, Catherine’s Rest, Concordia, Glynn, Golden Rock, Grove Place, Judith’s Fancy, La Grande Princesse, Lorraine Village, Mon Bijou, Mount Pleasant, Mutual Homes, Paradise, Peter’s Rest, Plessen, Smithfield, St. John, Tipperary, Two Brothers, Two Williams, Union & Mount Washington, Upper Bethlehem, Upper Love, Whim, William’s Delight, and Work & Rest.
St. John: Adrian, Bethany, Beverhoutberg, Calabash Boom, Carolina, Chocolate Hole, Contant, Enighed, Gifft & Regenback, Gluksberg, Grunwald, North Shore Road, Pastory, Rendezvous & Ditleff, and Southside Road.
On St. Thomas: Anna’s Retreat, Anna’s Retreat West, Atlantic Road, Bakkero, Blackbeard’s Hill, Blackbeard’s Castle, Bolongo, Bonne Resolution, Bovoni, Douglas Street, Hope, Pearl, Estate Thomas, Flag Hill, Fortuna, Frenchman’s Bay, Frydendahl, Frydenhoj, Great Bay, Hidden Valley, Hospital Ground, Lerkenlund, Lindbergh Bay, Lytton’s Fancy, Magens Bay Road, Mandahl, Mariendahl, Nazareth, Norre Gade, Nye Gade, Peterborg, Red Hook Road, Rhymer Highway / Donoe, Skyline Drive, Smith Bay, Solberg, Subbase, Taarneberg, Tabor & Harmony, Tutu, Tutu High Rise 1 and Wintberg.
• In addition to the priority restoration areas, crews may also work in the following areas on Tuesday:
St. Thomas: East and West Caret Bay, Brass View, Hawk Hill, Crown Bay (access road from Subbase to Cancryn Cricket Field)
St. John: Bordeaux, Catherineberg and Zootenvaal.
St. Croix: Work & Rest, Slob, Cane, Constitution Hill and Castle Coakley.
• WAPA crews and meter services personnel are deployed in many of these locations ensuring that all customers whose homes or businesses are ready to be reconnected to the electric grid, are restored. At this stage of the restoration, any customer who has had damage to a meter base and/or weather head and has completed repairs, is urged to secure certification of the repairs, in writing, from their licensed electrician. The certification must be then submitted to the Customer Service office so restoration can be scheduled.
• Reconstruction, restoration and hurricane debris removal crews are staged across the islands. Motorists are asked to exercise caution when driving through the work areas and to heed the directions of flaggers and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
• There are five days of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days on St. Thomas, and five days on St. Croix.
OTHER INFORMATION
• Customer Service Offices operate Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and at Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas. On St. John, the Customer Service office at The Marketplace offers limited service on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, 10 am – 3 pm
December 11, 2017 – HURRICANE RESTORATION UPDATE
As the restoration of service continues in both districts by WAPA Line Department personnel as well as on and off-island contractors, some customers in the following areas are targeted for service restoration this week and into the weekend:
• St. Croix: All for the Better, Annas Hope, Barren Spot, Estate Bethlehem / Middle Works, Castle Burke, Catherine’s Rest, Clifton Hill, Coakley Bay, Concordia, Constitution Hill, Cotton Valley, Diamond, Enfield Green, Glynn, Golden Rock, Grapetree Bay, Green Cay, Grove Place, Humbug, Judith’s Fancy, La Grande Princesse, Lorraine Village, Mon Bijou, Mount Pleasant, Mount Welcome, North Slob, North Street, Orange Grove, Paradise, Parara, Peppertree Terrace, Peter’s Rest, Profit Hills, Richmond, Ruby, Shoys, Shoys Pump, Sight, Smithfield, Solitude, South Slob, Southgate, St. Georges, Teague Bay, Tipperary, Turner Hole, Two Brothers, Two Williams, Union & Mount Washington, Upper Bethlehem and Whim. On Monday, 600 customers were restored.
• St. Thomas: Annas Retreat, Bakkeroe, Blackbeard’s Hill, Bolongo, Bonne Esperance, Bonne Resolution, Bordeaux, Botany Bay, Bovoni, Contant, Crown & Hawk, Estate Hoffman, Estate Hope, Estate Pearl, Estate Thomas, Fortuna, Frenchman Bay, Frydenhoj, Hidden Valley, Hospital Ground, Jeppesgang, Lerkenlund, Lindbergh Bay, Lytton Fancy, Mandahl, Mariendahl, Nazareth, Norre Gade, Nye Gade, Red Hook Road, Weymouth Rhymer Highway / Donoe, Santa Maria, Sapphire Village, Smith Bay, Solberg, St. Joseph & Rosendahl, Subbase, Taarneberg, Tabor & Harmony, Tutu, Tutu High Rise I, Water Island, Watergate and Wintberg. 330 customers were restored on St. Thomas Monday.
• St. John: Crews are fanned out across Cruz Bay and Coral Bay restoring service to customers. On St. John Monday, 320 customers were restored in areas including: Calabash Boom, Bordeaux, Carolina and Ajax Peak.
• Customers are advised that WAPA continues to receive regular shipments of materials and supplies in both districts to complete the power restoration. Crews are awaiting shipments of transformers in both districts, which are vital to the continued restoration of service. The transformers are expected on island this week and will be dispatched for continued restoration.
• On Tuesday, the Valdemar Hill Sr. Drive, “Skyline Drive” on St. Thomas, will again be closed to vehicular traffic from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and again from 1–4 p.m., as crews continue reconstruction and restoration work. The road closure will be in effect from the intersection of Louisenhoj Castle to the Donoe Bypass. Area residents will be allowed to access their homes during the road closure. Alternate routes are available for motorists who must traverse the area. On St. Croix, Pine Street in Estate Whim will be closed for a period of time Tuesday while crews work in the area.
• The WAPA Customer Service office on St. John will operate on an abbreviated schedule until further notice. The office will open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Due to Internet connectivity challenges, only checks, certified checks and money orders will be accepted as forms of payment. Customers must provide account numbers in order to process all transactions.
• Residents are reminded of the need to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
• POTABLE WATER SYSTEM: All pump stations are on line and functioning normally. There are five days of emergency water storage on St. Croix, seven days on St. John and eight days on St. Thomas. The potable water standpipe in Subbase, St. Thomas will be brought on line this week.
OTHER INFORMATION
• WAPA telephone contact: St. Thomas – St. John district, 340-774-3552; St. Croix district, 340-773-2250.
• Customer Service Offices operate Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and at Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas. On St. John, the Customer Service Office at The Marketplace operates Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Emergency Call Centers operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. To contact the call center, call C40-774-1424 on St. Thomas – St. John, and 340-773-0150 on St. Croix.
December 7, 2017 – ELECTRIC SYSTEM
- With more than 25,000 customers re-energized territory-wide, restoration and reconstruction efforts continued in both districts on Thursday.
- On St. Thomas, some customers were restored in the following areas: Lindbergh Bay, Solberg, Altona, Caret Bay, Dorothea, Frenchman’s Bay, Bolongo, Hawk Hill, Scott Free, St. Peter Mountain Road, Estate Pearl, Nadir, Tutu Valley and Sapphire Village.
- On St. Croix, some customers in Clifton Hill, Estate Whim, William’s Delight, Campo Rico, White Bay and White Lady were restored. Fifty customers on Feeder 2A from The Buccaneer Hotel to Villa Madeline were also restored.
- On St. John, additional customers on Pocket Money Hill, San Soucci, Upper Fish Bay, Great Cruz Bay, Carolina and Bordeaux were restored.
- On Friday, the Valdemar Hill Sr. Drive, “Skyline Drive” on St. Thomas, will be closed to vehicular traffic from 8:30-11:30 a.m., and again from 1-4 p.m., as crews perform reconstruction work and debris removal. The road closure will be in effect from the intersection of Louisenhoj Castle to the Donoe Bypass. Area residents will be allowed to access their homes during the road closure. Alternate routes are available for motorists who must traverse the area.
- The WAPA Customer Service office on St. John will resume operations on Friday, December 8, 2017. The St. John office will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Due to internet connectivity challenges, limited service will be available at this location. Until further notice, only checks, certified checks and money orders will be accepted as a form of payment. Cash and credit card payments will not be accepted until further notice. Customers must provide account numbers in order to process all transactions.
- Customers are reminded that homes with temporary roofs (blue roofs) will be restored with electrical service once a licensed electrician has certified, in writing, that the structure is safe to energize.
- If work needs to be done to repair a damaged meter base and/or weather head, customers must call the Emergency Call Center at 340-774-1424 on St. Thomas-St. John or 340-773-0150 on St. Croix. The call centers operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
- If your electric meter was removed by WAPA personnel to facilitate repairs to either a meter base and/or weather head, once repairs are completed and a licensed electrician certifies the work, in writing, customers are required to notify the Customer Service office. All fees usually associated with meter removal and reconnection have been waived during this restoration period. Customer service offices operate Monday-Friday, 9 am – 4 pm at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas.
- Reconstruction, restoration and hurricane debris removal crews are deployed across the islands. Motorists are asked to exercise caution when driving through the work areas and to heed the directions of flaggers and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control.
- Residents are reminded of the need to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
- There are six days of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days on St. Thomas, and five days on St. Croix.
- WAPA urges clean-up contractors and homeowners in both districts to exercise caution when piling debris on and around potable water meters. There are a growing number of instances where water meters are being damaged by clean-up equipment grading debris and causing damage to the roadside water meters. The continued damage by heavy equipment poses difficulty in maintaining or restoring potable water service to customers.
November 22, 2017 – Speaking at a news conference hosted by Acting Governor Osbert Potter on Wednesday, Executive Director Julio Rhymer, Sr. thanked WAPA’s employees, along with the on and off-island contractors, and the public who continue to support the ongoing restoration of electrical service across the territory. Rhymer reported that the buildout of primary circuits is essentially complete and approximately 40% of customers in the territory have been restored. The number of restored customers is in excess of 19,000. Rhymer also said additional linemen arrived on St. Croix Wednesday from Ocala, Tallahassee and South Carolina to augment the restoration work.
In a broad overview of the restoration on St. Croix, Rhymer said crews were working late Wednesday to restore service to residents at the Aureo Diaz housing community. Service was restored to customers in Estates Welcome, Solitude, Peter’s Rest and from Barren Spot to La Reine. The UVI campus was also restored, as well as the Cruzan Rum distillery and homes in Mount Pleasant, all along Centerline Road.
On St. Thomas, service was restored to customers in Fortuna, Hull Bay, Agnes Fancy, Altona, Savan, Anna’s Retreat and Bolongo. Some residents in Frenchtown were restored on Tuesday evening and the majority of that community will be restored within one week. Service was also restored to businesses on Harwood Highway from MSI to just outside the entrance to Subbase. Primary lines have been strung in Old Tutu up to the Mc Bean ball park as well as in Estate Mafolie. Electrical service to approximately 75% of the 115 customers on Water Island has been restored. Work on reconstructing the Ridge Road Feeder continues with a portion of the primary circuits already energized.
On St. John, efforts are progressing to complete the build out of primary circuits toward Coral Bay and should be completed by the weekend. Crews are also working to restore service in Fish Bay, Estate Adrian, Glucksberg, and at residences in George Simmonds Terrace.
ELECTRIC SYSTEM
- Through an agreement reached with the Department of Planning & Natural Resources, WAPA will restore electrical service to homes with temporary roofs (blue roofs) once a licensed electrician has certified, in writing, that the structure is safe to energize.
- Customers and electricians are reminded that it is against the law to remove or otherwise destroy meter seals. If work needs to be done to repair a damaged meter base and/or weather head, customers must call the Emergency Call Center at 340-774-1424 on St. Thomas-St. John or 340-773-0150 on St. Croix. The call centers operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
- If your electric meter was removed by WAPA personnel to facilitate repairs to either a meter base and/or weather head, once repairs are completed and a licensed electrician certifies the work in writing, customers are required to contact the Customer Service office to ensure that the meter will be reinstalled and resealed prior to the restoration of electrical service. All fees usually associated with meter removal and reconnection have been waived. Customer service offices are operating Monday-Friday, 9 am – 4 pm at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas.
- Reconstruction, restoration and hurricane debris removal crews are deployed across the islands. Motorists are asked to exercise caution when driving through the work areas and to heed the directions of flaggers and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control.
- WAPA urges residents to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
- There are seven days of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days on St. Thomas, and five days on St. Croix.
- WAPA urges clean-up contractors and homeowners in both districts to exercise caution when piling debris on and around potable water meters. There are a growing number of instances where water meters are being damaged by clean-up equipment grading debris and causing damage to the roadside water meters. The continued damage by heavy equipment poses difficulty in maintaining or restoring potable water service to customers.
November 21, 2017 ELECTRIC SYSTEM
- At the end of the work day Tuesday, WAPA reported significant progress on its restoration effort in both districts. With the primary circuits on most feeders significantly reconstructed, the restoration of service to commercial and residential customers is progressing.
- On St. Croix Tuesday, crews restored service up to Cotton Valley on Feeder 2A, while primary circuits were developed to Point Udall, and reconstruction of those circuits will continue toward the Divi Carina Bay Resort & Casino. On Feeder 3A, additional customers were restored to include the Beeston Hill Condos. On Feeder 4A, crews are approaching 90% completion of work in Sion Hill, and in Rattan all poles have been planted with crews expected to string lines through that community by Friday. Service was restored from the Feeder 4A/5A tie switch to Rogers Laundry and down to Sion Hill. In Barren Spot, restoration is approximately 70% complete, while work has been completed toward the La Reine intersection. On Feeder 8B, Estate White Bay will be fully energized on Wednesday, while crews are preparing to plant poles in Estate White Lady. Crews have estimated that work in Frederiksted town is approximately 98% complete. Additional customers were energized on Feeder 10A and on Feeder 6A, customers have been energized from La Grande Princesse to Five Corners. Service was also restored on Feeder 9B in Estates Diamond, Mount Pleasant West and Constitution Hill. Streetlights along portions of Melvin Evans Highway have been restored.
- On St. John, where just over 1,200 customers have been restored, crews continued work in Glucksberg and a portion of Estate Adrian. Most of the houses in George Simmonds Terrace have been reenergized, and the primary circuit from Chocolate Hole to Pond Bay is completed. Crews continue to plant poles in Fish Bay while work continues toward restoring service to Coral Bay.
- On St. Thomas, service was restored from the bottom of Donkey Hill to the Sea View Nursing Home and included customers in the area. Crews are continuing to repair power lines toward Hawk Hill. Customers on Scott Free Road, from Solberg to Four Corners, and in the area of the Old Mill in Contant were restored. Service was also restored to some additional customers in Santa Maria, Crown Mountain, Estate Pearl and Sorgenfri. A primary circuit was energized from Drake’s Seat to Hull Bay Road with some customers being restored. Other crews restored service to Subbase area businesses and the V.I. Supreme Court. Crews will continue to work in Subbase over the next two to three weeks to restore service to Crown Bay Center, Crown Bay Marina, Tropical Shipping, Crowley, MSI and The Sea Chest. Further to the east, a primary circuit that extends from the Cancryn Junior High School to Villa Olga was energized which paves the way for service restoration via a submarine cable to Hassel Island. Some customers in Frenchtown were restored on Tuesday as well as the Palms Court Harborview Hotel. While crews continue to reconstruct primary circuits on Feeder 8B and the Ridge Road Feeder, the work on those circuits on all other St. Thomas feeders is complete.
- Through an agreement reached with the Department of Planning & Natural Resources, WAPA will restore electrical service to homes with temporary roofs (blue roofs) once a licensed electrician has certified, in writing, that the structure is safe to energize.
- Customers and electricians are reminded that it is against the law to remove or otherwise destroy meter seals. If work needs to be done to repair a damaged meter base and/or weather head, customers must call the Emergency Call Center at 340-774-1424 on St. Thomas-St. John or 340-773-0150 on St. Croix. The call centers operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
- If your electric meter was removed by WAPA personnel to facilitate repairs to either a meter base and/or weather head, once repairs are completed and a licensed electrician certifies the work in writing, customers are required to contact the Customer Service office to ensure that the meter will be reinstalled and resealed prior to the restoration of electrical service. All fees usually associated with meter removal and reconnection have been waived. Customer service offices are operating Monday-Friday, 9 am – 4 pm at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas.
- Reconstruction, restoration and hurricane debris removal crews are deployed across the islands. Motorists are asked to exercise caution when driving through the work areas and to heed the directions of flaggers and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control.
- WAPA urges residents to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
- There are seven days (74%) of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days (59%) on St. Thomas, and four days (54%) on St. Croix.
- WAPA urges clean-up contractors and homeowners in both districts to exercise caution when piling debris on and around potable water meters. There are a growing number of instances where water meters are being damaged by clean-up equipment grading debris and causing damage to the roadside water meters. The continued damage by heavy equipment poses difficulty in maintaining or restoring potable water service to customers.
November 15, 2017 ELECTRIC SYSTEM
- On all three islands Wednesday, additional customers were energized as WAPA’s crews and contractors continued reconstruction and restoration work.
- On St. Croix, some customers on Feeder 4A in Sion Hill and Little Princesse were restored, while on Feeder 5A, additional customers in Barren Spot as well as businesses to the west of the Sunny Isle Shopping Center, to include the Social Security offices and the Board of Elections, were energized. On Feeder 8B in Frederiksted, customers on Hospital and King Cross Streets, and on a portion of Prince Street were restored, as well as the Legislature Complex, Whim Gardens Home for the Elderly, and the Marley housing community. Other restored customers include the Frederiksted Fire Services building, and several condo complexes to include Ocean Terrace and Bay Garden. On Thursday, crews will work in the Beeston Hill area, in Estate Rattan, and from the Richmond power plant to The Home Depot on Melvin Evans Highway.
- On St. John, crews worked to reconstruct electrical circuits in the area of Glucksberg, past the Sirenusa development, and from Calabash Boom to Coral Bay. Reconstruction crews continue to work on primary circuits that will provide service to customers in Coral Bay.
- On St. Thomas, crews planted several poles in Old Tutu and will continue to work this week reconstructing primary circuits of restoring service to customers. Other crews prepared circuits on Feeder 7C for customer restoration in Anna’s Retreat, Coki Point and Bovoni. Customers in the Subbase area on Feeder 10A were also restored on Wednesday as well as a primary circuit on Feeder 8A extending from the Harley power plant to the area of the Jane E. Tuitt school campus. Crews planted two additional poles on the St. Thomas side of Feeder 5A which are required before the submarine cable to energize Water Island can be brought on line. On Thursday, crews are expected to energize circuits leading to the Mahogany Run condos on Feeder 9C.
- Another 200 linemen are expected to arrive over the next few days to join WAPA’s Line Department personnel, as well as our on-island and off-island contractors. The latest round of linemen will bring to more than 750 total, the number of electrical personnel who are in the territory working on our recovery from the catastrophic September hurricanes. As of early this week, more than 16,000 customers have been restored territory-wide.
- Through an agreement reached with the Department of Planning & Natural Resources, WAPA will restore electrical service to homes with temporary roofs (blue roofs) once a licensed electrician has certified, in writing, that the structure is safe to energize.
- Customers and electricians are reminded that it is against the law to remove or otherwise destroy meter seals. If work needs to be done to repair a damaged meter base and/or weather head, customers must call the Emergency Call Center at 340-774-1424 on St. Thomas-St. John or 340-773-0150 on St. Croix. The call centers operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
- If your electric meter was removed by WAPA personnel to facilitate repairs to either a meter base and/or weather head, once repairs are completed and a licensed electrician certifies the work in writing, customers are required to contact the Customer Service office to ensure that the meter will be reinstalled and resealed prior to the restoration of electrical service. All fees usually associated with meter removal and reconnection have been waived. Customer service offices are operating Monday-Friday, 9 am – 4 pm at Sunny Isle on St. Croix and Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas.
- Reconstruction, restoration and hurricane debris removal crews are deployed across the islands. Motorists are asked to exercise caution when driving through the work areas and to heed the directions of flaggers, military personnel and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control.
- WAPA urges residents to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
- There are six days (76%) of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days (60%) on St. Thomas, and five days (70%) on St. Croix.
- WAPA urges clean-up contractors and homeowners in both districts to exercise caution when piling debris on and around potable water meters. There are a growing number of instances where water meters are being damaged by clean-up equipment grading debris and causing damage to the roadside water meters. The continued damage by heavy equipment poses difficulty in maintaining or restoring potable water service to customers.
November 13, 2017 – ELECTRIC SYSTEM
- WAPA’s restoration effort continued through the weekend and on Monday in both districts with over 16,100 customers restored territory-wide.
- On St. Thomas Monday, crews energized primary circuits from Feeder 7A to 8B towards Lovenlund allowing for restoration of that community on Tuesday. Crews continued work restoring customers in Anna’s Retreat on Feeder 9C and the Tutu area on Feeder 7C. The restoration will continue toward St. Joseph & Rosendahl. Crews reenergized additional residential customers in Bordeaux, Crown & Hawk and Estate Pearl on Feeder 6A, and in Estate Altona on Feeder 7A. Reconstruction crews are dressing poles and placing new primary circuits in the Frenchtown community on Feeder 10A.
- On St. John, crews are continuing to restore service to customers while reconstruction work is being done on primary circuits from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay. Customers restored on Monday included: St. John Concrete, Sirenusa, and George Simmonds Terrace. Other crews planted poles for single-phase electrical service in various residential areas and prepared circuits to be reenergized in Estate Bethany.
- On St. Croix, approximately 65% of Frederiksted town has been reenergized on Feeder 8B, as well as some customers in Estate Whim. On Feeder 5A, the Ricardo Richards Elementary School has been restored as well as some residential customers in Estates Barron Spot and Ruby along with the Flamboyant Gardens elderly home. About 95% of Little Princesse Hill is re-energized on Feeder 4A, and on Feeder 2A, customers in East Street, Christiansted and Tide Village have been restored. Other facilities now on the grid include: Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School, the WAPA potable water pump station in Estate Welcome and the VIPD station in Estate Richmond. On Tuesday, crews will continue work in Estate Rattan on Feeder 4A. Other crews will also begin working to energize from the west airport road along the Queen Mary Highway to the east airport road, allowing service to be restored along Paradise Road around to the Louis E. Brown Senior Villas. Additional work is also scheduled later this week on Feeder 3A from Catherine’s Rest toward Hermon Hill.
- WAPA advises homeowners across the Virgin Islands that through an agreement reached between WAPA and the Department of Planning & Natural Resources, WAPA will energize homes with temporary roofs once a licensed electrician inspects and certifies that the structure is safe to energize.
- WAPA reminds the public that several hurricane debris removal crews are deployed across the islands. Motorists are asked to exercise caution when traversing around the heavy equipment being used to pick up downed poles, transformers, wire and other equipment. On St. Thomas, crews worked recently in the area of the Contant Car Wash, Soto Town, in Lindbergh Bay, along the Donoe bypass road, Wintberg, and near Anna’s Retreat Heights. Crews will work on Tuesday in areas including: Mandahl, Smith Bay road, Anna’s Retreat and along St. Peter Mountain Road toward Mafolie. Debris removal crews are also working across the islands of St. John and St. Croix.
- WAPA urges residents to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
- All electrical problems must be reported to the WAPA Emergency Call Centers to be properly documented and tracked. The Emergency Call Centers operate 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., seven days per week. St. Thomas – St. John: 340-774-1424 and St. Croix: 340-773-0150.
- WAPA personnel has removed electrical meters at locations where damage was apparent to either an electrical meter base and/or weather head. Home and business owners are advised to make repairs to their damaged weather heads and/or meter bases as soon as possible. Once crews have reached your neighborhood, those customers who have not had their weather head or meter base repaired, will not have service immediately restored. Additionally, customers and electricians are reminded that it is against the law to remove or otherwise destroy meter seals. If work needs to be done to repair a damaged meter base and or weather head, contact WAPA’s Emergency Call Centers which operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
- There are six days of emergency water storage on St. John, eight days on St. Thomas and five days on St. Croix.
- Water distribution crews on St. Croix addressed leaks in Estate Whim and near the Vincent Mason pool over the weekend, as well as a loss of potable water pressure in Frederiksted. All issues have been resolved and pressure levels are returning to normal on the island’s west end.
- WAPA urges clean-up contractors and homeowners in both districts to exercise caution when piling debris on and around potable water meters. There are a growing number of instances where water meters are being damaged by clean-up equipment grading debris and causing damage to the roadside water meters. The continued damage by heavy equipment poses difficulty in maintaining or restoring potable water service to customers.
November 8, 2017 – ELECTRIC SYSTEM
WAPA’s reconstruction and restoration crews continue to make steady progress across the territory with service being restored to a growing number of customers each day.
On St. John Tuesday, a portion of the primary circuit from Peter Bay to Cinnamon Bay was energized and crews continued work on Feeder 7E.
On St. Croix, customers on Feeder 4A were restored along Five Corners as well as in the Little Princess and La Grande Princess areas, with crews building out primary circuits toward Sion Hill and Rattan. Customers were restored in Estate Ruby and Peppertree Terrace along with the Christiansted Bypass. Efforts will continue to repair and reinstall streetlights along the major highways of St. Croix. On Feeder 8B, poles are being framed and readied for primary circuit reconstruction while additional customers were energized in the Hannah’s Rest area.
On St. Thomas, additional customers on Feeder 6A were restored, as well as customers in Anna’s Retreat on Feeder 7C and along Crown Mountain Road. Crews continued the reconstruction of primary circuits along Mahogany Run toward the Magens Bay road intersection, and on Feeder 7A in Estate Altona.
On Wednesday, restoration work impacting traffic flow will take place in the following locations: on St. Croix, along Queen Street in Frederiksted, along Queen Mary Highway from west airport road toward the court, and near Five Corners. On St. Thomas work will slow traffic in the area of Louisehoj Castle toward Magens Bay road, along Weymouth Rhymer Highway, and from Mahogany Run toward the Magens Bay road intersection. On St. John, crews will continue to build primary circuits from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay with other crews working from Coral Bay toward Cruz Bay.
WAPA advises residents that it is necessary to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
All electrical problems must be reported to the WAPA Emergency Call Centers to be properly documented and tracked. The Emergency Call Centers operate 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., seven days per week. St. Thomas – St. John: 340-774-1424 and St. Croix: 340-773-0150.
WAPA personnel has removed electrical meters at locations where damage was apparent to either an electrical meter base and/or weather head. Home and business owners are advised to make repairs to their damaged weather heads and/or meter bases as soon as possible. Once crews have reached your neighborhood, those customers who have not had their weather head or meter base repaired, will not have service immediately restored. Additionally, customers and electricians are reminded that it is against the law to remove or otherwise destroy meter seals. If work needs to be done to repair a damaged meter base and or weather head, contact WAPA’s Emergency Call Centers which operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
There are six days of emergency water storage on St. John, ten days on St. Thomas and seven days on St. Croix.
WAPA reminds the public that a precautionary boil water notice, for potable water customers, is in place for the District of St. Croix. Due to a drop in water pressure, as a precaution, we advise that all water used for drinking, cooking, making infant formula or juices, making ice, brushing teeth, washing fruits or vegetables and washing dishes, be boiled. Bringing water to a rolling boil and maintaining for one full minute is sufficient. Water must be adequately cooled before it can be used and should be stored in clean, covered containers. As an alternative, bottled water certified for sale by the Department of Health may be used. The boil water notice for the St. Thomas-St. John district has been lifted.
WAPA urges clean-up contractors and homeowners in both districts to exercise caution when piling debris on and around potable water meters. There are a growing number of instances where water meters are being damaged by clean-up equipment grading debris and causing damage to the roadside water meters. The continued damage by heavy equipment poses difficulty in maintaining or restoring potable water service to customers.
November 2, 2017 – ELECTRIC SYSTEM
On St. Croix, restoration and reconstruction work continued in the Sion Farm area where additional poles were planted on Wednesday. Primary circuits in Barren Spot as well as some residents in Hannah’s Rest will be energized by the end of the week. Crews worked on sections of Feeders 2A, 4A and 6B with Hotel on the Cay and Company House Hotel on Feeder 1A expected to be restored on Wednesday night. Crews continued to troubleshoot issues around the Watergut housing community that have prevented full service restoration.
On St. Thomas, crews energized commercial and residential customers in Estates Tutu and Anna’s Retreat as well as Estate Thomas. Primary circuits on Feeders 7A and 8A, from the Harley power plant to Nisky Center, were energized. Crews worked on Feeder 6A near Fortuna and on the St. Peter Mountain Road, as well as in Wintberg and Mandahl.
On St. John, Caneel Bay Resort was restored Wednesday and work continues to restore additional primary circuits on both Feeders 7E and 9E. Crews are also working on the roadway leading to the Westin Resort.
Traffic flow will be affected across the territory Thursday as restoration work continues. On St. Thomas, crews will work in Frenchman’s Bay, Wintberg, Mandahl, Tutu, Four Winds, Estate Thomas, Fredenhoj, Red Hook, and on St. Peter Mountain Road. On St. John, crews will work on the road toward the Westin Resort as well as on Feeders 7E and 9E. On St. Croix, work will continue in Estate Strawberry towards Barren Spot, Estate Ruby, Hannah’s Rest, Christiansted and Frederiksted towns. Motorists are advised to adhere to the directions of flaggers, military police and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control. Additionally, motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes and avoid the work areas when possible.
WAPA advises residents that it is necessary to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
All electrical problems must be reported to the WAPA Emergency Call Centers to be properly documented and tracked. These problems include, but are not limited to, electrical service interruptions as well as damaged and downed facilities such as poles, transformers, and power lines. The Emergency Call Centers operate 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., seven days per week. St. Thomas – St. John: 340-774-1424 and St. Croix: 340-773-0150.
WAPA personnel has removed electrical meters at locations where damage was apparent to either an electrical meter base and/or weather head. Home and business owners are advised to make repairs to their damaged weather heads and/or meter bases as soon as possible. Once crews have reached your neighborhood, those customers who have not had their weather head or meter base repaired, will not have service immediately restored. Additionally, customers and electricians are reminded that it is against the law to remove or otherwise destroy meter seals. If work needs to be done to repair a damaged meter base and or weather head, contact WAPA’s Emergency Call Centers which operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
There are seven days of emergency water storage on St. John, ten days on St. Thomas and six days on St. Croix.
The potable water standpipe in Subbase St. Thomas is off line due to technical challenges. Efforts continue to restore service to the standpipe as quickly as possible. On St. John, the potable water standpipe will be on line in a few days.
WAPA reminds the public that a precautionary boil water notice for potable water customers is in place territory-wide. Due to a drop in water pressure, as a precaution, we advise that all water used for drinking, cooking, making infant formula or juices, making ice, brushing teeth, washing fruits or vegetables and washing dishes, be boiled. Bringing water to a rolling boil and maintaining for one full minute is sufficient. Water must be adequately cooled before it can be used and should be stored in clean, covered containers. As an alternative, bottled water certified for sale by the Department of Health may be used.
WAPA urges clean-up contractors and homeowners in both districts to exercise caution when piling debris on and around potable water meters. There are a growing number of instances where water meters are being damaged by clean-up equipment grading debris and causing damage to the roadside water meters. The continued damage by heavy equipment poses difficulty in maintaining or restoring potable water service to customers.
November 1, 2017 – ELECTRIC SYSTEM
On St. Thomas Tuesday, WAPA’s reconstruction and restoration crews energized additional customers in Hospital Ground, Estate Thomas and along the main route on Feeder 7C from the Cassi Hill Intersection to Hometown convenience store. Additional work was done on the primary circuits of Feeders 6A toward the west end and on 7A along the St. Peter Mountain Road. On Wednesday, crews will continue to reconstruct primary circuits in Estate Wintberg toward the Yvonne Bowsky Elementary School. Other crews are also set to energize additional customers in Red Hook from just before Sapphire resort west to the WAPA electrical substation in Nazareth.
On St. John, additional customers in Cruz Bay were energized as well as Grande Bay and the Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center. Crews continued to reconstruct primary circuits in other portions of Cruz Bay and Fish Bay toward the Westin resort.
On St. Croix Tuesday, customers in areas of Estate Ruby, Bassin Triangle and Peppertree Terrace were restored. Crews planted poles on Feeder 4A, in Estate Strawberry towards Barren Spot, and on Feeders 1A, 2A, and 9B. Secondary poles were planted in Frederiksted town.
Traffic flow will be affected across the territory on Wednesday as restoration work continues on all three islands. On St. Thomas, crews will work in Frenchman’s Bay from Havensight toward Bolongo Bay, Donoe intersection toward Wintberg as well as the bypass road, Tabor and Harmony toward Mandahl, on St. Peter Mountain Road and in Fortuna. On St. John, crews will work in the Fish Bay area and in the vicinity of the Westin and Caneel Bay resorts. On St. Croix, work will continue in Estate Strawberry towards Barren Spot, Estate Ruby and Frederiksted town. Motorists are advised to adhere to the directions of flag persons, military police and VIPD officers who are assisting with traffic control. Additionally, motorists are encouraged to use alternate routes and avoid the work areas when possible.
WAPA reminds its customers that the work being done in the initial phase of the recovery is focused on the rebuilding of primary circuits throughout the feeder paths. Customers whose homes and businesses are along the main circuit routes are being energized when the primary circuits are brought online. However, the bulk of the restoration to residents and businesses will take place in the second phase of restoration.
WAPA advises residents that it is necessary to shut off standby generators when line crews are in your neighborhood restoring electrical service. A standby generator has the potential to back feed electricity to the grid which poses a severe safety risk to restoration crews.
All electrical problems must be reported to the WAPA Emergency Call Centers to be properly documented and tracked. These problems include, but are not limited to, electrical service interruptions as well as damaged and downed facilities such as poles, transformers, and power lines. The Emergency Call Centers operate 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., seven days per week. St. Thomas – St. John: 340-774-1424 and St. Croix: 340-773-0150.
WAPA personnel has removed electrical meters at locations where damage was apparent to either an electrical meter base and/or weather head. Home and business owners are advised to make repairs to their damaged weather heads and/or meter bases as soon as possible. Once crews have reached your neighborhood, those customers who have not had their weather head or meter base repaired, will not have service immediately restored. Additionally, customers and electricians are reminded that it is against the law to remove or otherwise destroy meter seals. If work needs to be done to repair a damaged meter base and or weather head, contact WAPA’s Emergency Call Centers which operate seven days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
POTABLE WATER SYSTEM
There are six days of emergency water storage on St. John, ten days on St. Thomas and six days on St. Croix.
The potable water standpipe in Subbase St. Thomas is off line due to technical challenges. Efforts are being made to restore service to the standpipe as quickly as possible. On St. John, the potable water standpipe will be on line in a few days.
WAPA reminds the public that a precautionary boil water notice for potable water customers is in place territory-wide. Due to a drop in water pressure, as a precaution, we advise that all water used for drinking, cooking, making infant formula or juices, making ice, brushing teeth, washing fruits or vegetables and washing dishes, be boiled. Bringing water to a rolling boil and maintaining for one full minute is sufficient. Water must be adequately cooled before it can be used and should be stored in clean, covered containers. As an alternative, bottled water certified for sale by the Department of Health may be used.
WAPA urges clean-up contractors and homeowners in both districts to exercise caution when piling debris on and around potable water meters. There are a growing number of instances where water meters are being damaged by clean-up equipment grading debris and causing damage to the roadside water meters. The continued damage by heavy equipment poses difficulty in maintaining or restoring potable water service to customers.
WAPA Office Contact
St. Thomas-St. John, Water Island P.O. Box 1450 St. Thomas, VI 00804-1450 Tel: (340) 774-3552 |
St. Croix WAPA Office P.O. Box 5997 Christiansted, St. Croix, VI 00823 Tel: (340) 773-2250 |