WAPA line crews working in downtown Charlotte Amalie on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024.
The V.I. Water and Power Authority said on Friday that it is making significant progress in restoring power across the territory following the impact of Tropical Storm Ernesto, with 89% of St. Croix and 93% of St. John already back online.
The authority said restoration efforts on St. Thomas are ongoing, with the island currently at 68% restoration prior to a district-wide outage caused by Unit 23 tripping at 2:00 p.m. today.
On St. Croix, WAPA's Generation Unit 20 at the Richmond Power Plant experienced a loss of load generation at around 2:00 p.m. A team at WAPA was actively working to bring the unit back online. Once additional units are operational, more customers across the island will see their power restored, building on the current 89% restoration.
Priority areas on St. Croix include Feeder 1A in Downtown Christiansted, Feeder 6A in the LaValle and Mon Bijou area, Feeder 10B, including customers in the Rainforest, and Feeder 4A, which impacts service to the Free Will Baptist School. Crews are also focusing on isolated outages affecting businesses in Frederiksted. Additionally, WAPA’s water personnel are addressing low water pressure issues in Estate Whim, Estate Hannah’s Rest, and Frederiksted town, with repairs expected to be completed by Friday evening.
WAPA said St. Thomas faced a setback today when Unit 23 tripped, causing a district-wide outage. However, the unit was brought back online by 3:30 p.m., and crews resumed restoration efforts, having already reached 68% restoration before the outage. Work continues on Feeder 6A (Blackpoint to Estate Pearl), 7A (Crown Mountain to Northside), and Feeder 7B, where progress has been delayed by a broken pole.
St. John remains the most restored island, with 93% of power back online. Crews, supported by the Department of Public Works, are clearing large trees obstructing access to downed power lines in critical areas, including North Shore, Carolina, and Trunk Bay.
WAPA CEO Karl Knight will provide further updates in scheduled radio interviews on Saturday, on WSTX AM970 /FM100.3 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The authority said customers experiencing isolated outages are encouraged to report them to WAPA's call center, which will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. For emergencies, residents should contact 911, which is coordinating with support agencies to address fires and downed power lines.
