Earlier today, VITEMA and other departments and agencies briefed Gov. John P. de Jongh Jr. on the response effort. Storm Response The Department of Human Services and the American Red Cross are continuing coordination for the opening of shelters if necessary. The Julius Sprauve School will serve as a shelter on St. John. The department will close its St. Thomas and St. John senior centers and head-starts on Tuesday. The St. Thomas shelter remains on standby. VI Police Department stands ready to respond to emergency calls for assistance. All officers have been placed on alert for storm response. The Department of Public Works has assessed all the known problematic areas of concern across the territory. Residents are advised to remain vigilant and to avoid these known flood-prone areas by seeking alternate routes once the rains subsides. On St. Croix these areas include La Grange at Frederiksted, Gallows Bay in Christiansted, and Melvin Evans Highway in the vicinity of Diageo. On the island of St. Thomas, areas prone to flooding include Brookman Road, Bolongo Bay and Crown Mountain. Crews have been dispatched to these areas in a proactive posture to implement protective measures and to mitigate the potential effects of the predicted rainfall. Additionally, in anticipation of the substantial rainfall, all burials scheduled for tomorrow Tuesday in our public cemeteries will be postponed until further notice. VI Water and Power Authority has activated its emergency plans in order to operate efficiently and safely if tropical storm conditions occur in the territory. Currently, WAPA has adequate fuel and water storage to serve all customers. It line and engineering departments have designated damage assessment teams and restoration crews throughout the territory to immediately address problems in the field once the storm has passed. WAPA representatives will staff the emergency call centers to take calls from customers experiencing electricity and/or water service interruptions. VITEMA has activated its Emergency Operations Center territorywide in response to Tropical Storm Gonzalo. A FEMA Incident Management Assistance Team is currently co-located at VITEMA headquarters in St. Thomas. The Department of Licensing and Consumers Affairs has issued a price freeze order effective at noon today. More than 3,000 visitors are currently in the territory. The Department of Tourism has activated its USVI Updates website to provide storm information to visitors, according to Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty. The department is also working to accommodate arriving air passengers who were scheduled to travel on to the British Virgin Islands. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) has issued guidelines for boaters including locations of boater safe havens across the territory. DPNR has also advised boaters against remaining on-board their vessels during the storm. Additionally, DPNR is conducting visual checks of construction sites to ensure contractors, developers, and home builders have maintained and implemented additional erosion and sediment control practices. The Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority has adjusted its hours of operation at the Territory’s landfills and transfer stations during the passage of Tropical Storm Gonzalo, as well as issued guidelines for solid waste disposal. Air and Sea Ports In preparation for the storm, the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas will close at 7 p.m. today. The Virgin Islands Port Authority decided to close the airport after all flights were cancelled to the island today. VIPA operations staff will assess the airport immediately after the storm passes and issue a public announcement when the airport is reopened. Travelers are urged to contact their airlines directly for flight information. The following have been cancelled due: Jet Blue: 4:10 p.m., 4:40 p.m. Cape Air: 3:10 p.m. American Airlines: 8 p.m. flight to St. Thomas cancelled. WICO reported that the Carnival Valor will leave at 3 p.m. today instead of the scheduled 5 p.m. departure time. Carnival Liberty, scheduled to arrive Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at St. Thomas has cancelled due to Tropical Storm Gonzalo. The Caribbean Princess, Carnival Conquest, Norwegian Getaway, which was scheduled to call on St. Thomas, on Wednesday, October 15, 2014, also has cancelled. Due to the track Tropical Storm Gonzalo, the US Coast Guard Captain of the Port San Juan set Port Condition ZULU at 5 p.m. today for St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island, officially suspending port operations and closing ports to all inbound and outbound vessel traffic until further notice. All vessels were to be secured by 5 p.m. today. St. Croix ports remain at Port Condition YANKEE. During Port Condition YANKEE ports are open to outbound vessel traffic only, while commercial inbound vessels are restricted from entering the port.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 22:56:23 +0000
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