As the tropical storm-force winds left behind by Hurricane Lenny died down and the dark clouds lifted Thursday over St. John, emergency managers faced no major challenges as they began putting the daily life of the island back in order.
National Guard soldiers spent part of Thursday morning clearing public roads of fallen trees. V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency deputy director Alvis Christian, island administrator Julian Harley and Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd toured the island for a cursory damage assessment.
Although weather conditions associated with Lenny lasted longer and made life more miserable for St. John residents than October's Tropical Storm Jose, reports coming into the St. John VITEMA headquarters were mostly good tidings — no hurricane-related deaths or injuries, no significant property damage, no boats sunk and just three run aground, all in the Coral Bay area near the South Shore Road.
But work remained on a short list of concerns: an emergency shelter in Coral Bay that kept its doors open to accommodate boaters who found their cabins flooded by heavy rains; the restoration of marine transportation service between St. Thomas and St. John; and the re- energizing of the island after more than 24 hours without power.
The power problem was one shared with St. Thomas. Water And Power Authority line supervisor Winston Smith said at a post-hurricane assessment meeting Thursday afternoon that 75 percent of St. John would be re-energized as soon as the main electrical feeders from St. Thomas were restored. Meanwhile line crews on St. John tackled a handful of downed power lines in Estate Contant, Pastory, and Rendezvous Point.
At that afternoon meeting at VITEMA headquarters in Estate Susanaberg it was reported that marine transportation services between the two islands would resume by 6 a.m. Friday. However, one of the island's two commuter ferry companies, Varlack Ventures, had its boats back in service between Cruz Bay and Red Hook on a limited schedule late Thursday afternoon.
Transportation to and from St. Thomas was of uppermost concern to representatives of St. John's two major resorts. Caneel Bay Resort announced plans to send the resort's private ferries to St. Thomas on Friday morning to pick up employees needed to help assess damage and begin clearing debris from the property.
A St. John Westin representative said damage assessment was under way at that resort, which continued housing guests during the hurricane's passage. He said the non-resident staff was needed to return to work to relieve the resident management crew that attended the guests while St. John was experiencing the storm and under curfew afterward.
