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Post-Irma news

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 6:56 am
by Coconuts
With Irma having departed the Territory, let's post any news items on the current status and recovery here. Jose is about to become a major hurricane, but assuming that it sticks to the center of its forecast track, will miss us by a safe distance.

http://stthomassource.com/content/2017/ ... as-st-john

http://viconsortium.com/featured/irma-w ... ic-failure

The lead photo in the second link is of a gas station, not the Schneider hospital.

All the best,

Kevin

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 8:48 am
by Coconuts
Another article: http://viconsortium.com/featured/govern ... icane-irma

I'm not on social media, but via my wife was able to see some photos showing significant damage to The Lumberyard, and at Uncle Joe's Barbecue:

www.facebook.com/chrisbpye

All the best,

Kevin

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 8:55 am
by Ed S
Thanks Kevin. The VI Consortium link has not been working for me since last night.
I too am not on social media, but was able to view some pics from another link posted.
https://www.facebook.com/chrisbpye/post ... 8705430783
https://www.facebook.com/doug.anderson. ... 5450169093
Prayers to all....

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:33 am
by Coconuts
Ed: The VI Consortium link is working fine today. One takeaway from the photo on Doug Anderson's page is that all of the buildings seem to have roofs. That is encouraging. In a video from Grande Bay yesterday, before the storm really hit, I could see a number of sailboats anchored in Cruz Bay. That's just crazy, you don't do that in a Cat 5 hurricane. Those are almost certainly the boats beached along the shore in that photo.

My weather station atop Plumeria is down (no power), and my webcam has been down since an electrical storm last month, but www.weather.vi still has some useful links. Swells at the buoy north of the VI (under Rough Seas and Surf Forecast, a ways down the page) peaked yesterday at 22 feet!

All the best,

Kevin

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 12:00 pm
by shoemak38
Coconuts wrote: In a video from Grande Bay yesterday, before the storm really hit, I could see a number of sailboats anchored in Cruz Bay. That's just crazy, you don't do that in a Cat 5 hurricane. Those are almost certainly the boats beached along the shore in that photo.

All the best,

Kevin
Kevin,
yesterday one of the Facebook people said her grandparents from California owned one of the large sail boats and was worried about it looks like it's one of the boats now on the beach next to St. John spice. What idiots

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 3:02 pm
by mark & susan
Easy now - no judging. Especially in these moments. We have no idea what people were not able to move or protect their boat....

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 4:06 pm
by GidgetPicklebrain
I have read reports on a facebook page of people trying to locate loved ones that 95% of the boats that were in Hurricane Hole are either submerged or on the hillsides, Those in the associated creeks were no better off. I know nothing at all about sailing, but have been told that Hurricane Hole is so-named because it is the place to go to seek shelter. If so, it seems there was no safe harbor this time. Also read reports that many of the on-island people have no idea about Jose approaching. The only photos I've found are of the Cruz Bay area. People are traveling on foot to Coral Bay to check on things there, roads impassible. Cell service extremely spotty and only on north side. Westin has no power or water, they are conserving bottled water and using pool water for toilets, etc. All staying there or in grande BAy during the storm are OK.

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 4:08 pm
by GidgetPicklebrain
PS - I have also seen photos that have ferries aground in Cruz Bay.

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:24 am
by Coconuts
More news articles:
http://viconsortium.com/featured/irma-l ... in-st-john

http://viconsortium.com/virgin-islands- ... gs-in-usvi

"Mr. Mapp said the damage in some areas of St. John appeared to be worse that the havoc Hurricane Irma exacted on St. Thomas. Mona Barnes, the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency, confirmed tonight that “a couple of the ferries have actually sunk,” quoting the captain of the district’s ports who, she said, also stated that all the ports in the district were closed as of late Thursday."

I have heard that Coral Bay was especially hard-hit, and that nearly all boats in Hurricane Hole are sunk or beached.

Photos of the damage in STT and STJ are here:
https://twitter.com/Iceleg

All the best,

Kevin

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:29 am
by Ed S
Thanks Kevin.
Interview with Kenny this morning....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdpxEOur2yw

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 11:47 am
by Coconuts

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 12:32 pm
by shoemak38
Kevin,
the pictures on Facebook continue to amaze me. It looks like the whole island has been stripped bare. Hopefully your properties have survived with minimal damage. How can St. John survive without its tourist infrastructure . Everything is destroyed. The power of a category 5 hurricane is humbling.

As to an earlier post a boat owner with a boat in a hurricane prone area without contingency plans should be called out as his affecting the lives of other people. Yes, those in a hurricane hole were pushed around. However, they did not land at somebody else's front yard to be dealt with. There was one in chocolate hole about 10 years ago that took months to be removed :(

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 1:34 pm
by Agent99
Thanks for the link to Kenny's interview Ed. I hadn't realized that the one of the jets packed with relief supplies with the aid of St. John Rescue is Kenny's and 100% of donations will go to the relief effort. I prefer to give to them than to the groups that have such layered bureaucracy that something like 30 cents on the dollar goes to actual relief. Also learned that Kenny's house was destroyed as well.

I can't stop thinking about our on island forum friends like Ruth and Pia who shared their home renovation stories with us and the wonderful staff at Gallows and their families and all those who have become friends over the years. I am sure they are not reading butI hope they know that so many are sending love and as much help as we can. I imagine people are in a state of shock.

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 4:25 pm
by Ed S
You are very welcome Agent99. I too have been thinking about the incredible staff at Gallows Point, and hoping that Anna, Narej (I may have the spelling of her name wrong), Daldrene, Marcy and all others there are safe and well. If anyone has any update on them, please pass along.

Re: Post-Irma news

Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 12:13 am
by Anthony
I have put some photos from Facebook up here:

http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/hurric ... -irma.html

As well as updates on Irma and Jose - Irma made landfall in Cuba as a Cat 5 tonight.

Regarding sail boats, as a former USVI resident (and someone who married into a family of avid sailors) there really wasn't much more people could do. If your boat was anywhere, the water was safer than land. Hardcore sailors used to sail south out of the hurricane zone but not everyone can do that obviously.

I have heard directly or indirectly from most friends and family and everyone seems okay. Sounds like the east end of St. John took it worse in spots - one friend said: "skinny's, shipwreck, totally gone" but that is not 100% verified. This is obviously a tragedy and my heart goes out to everyone.