Sept. 14, 2007 — With the anniversaries of the deadly hurricanes Marilyn and Hugo coming up over the next few days, it appears Tropical Storm Ingrid will pass to the northeast.
The storm should pass about 225 miles to the northeast of the Virgin Islands Monday afternoon, according to Orlando Bermudez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
"You'll probably get high seas and showers," he said.
The storm has a lot of wind sheaing at the upper levels, preventing Ingrid from developing into a stronger storm, Bermudez said. Some computer models even have the storm dissipating in about two days, he said.
Ingrid developed out of Tropical Depression 8 late Thursday. As of 5 p.m. Friday, the storm was centered at 15.6 degrees north latitude and 50.6 degrees west longitude, or about 710 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.
Winds are at 40 mph with gusts to 50 mph. The barometric pressure stands at 1,004 millibars, or 29.64 inches. It's moving to the northwest at 8 mph. Tropical-storm force winds extend outward 50 miles.
It has been a dozen years since Hurricane Marilyn hit the territory hard on Sept. 15 and 16, 1995, and 18 years since Hurricane Hugo caused massive devastation on Sept. 17 and 18, 1989.
"These anniversaries also mark what is generally referred to as the height of hurricane season," said Steve Parris , acting director of the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency, according to a news release issued Friday.
The territory's experiences with those storms — particularly during the recovery efforts — significantly impacted how residents plan and prepare for emergencies, he said. Both hurricanes were "hard" lessons learned, he said.
"Hugo and Marilyn were tough lessons for our community," Parris said. "Watching Katrina unfold on television also affected how we respond to emergencies."
Parris urged residents to store enough water, canned or non-perishable goods, batteries and medicine to last three day. He also suggested that residents have a battery-powered radio and flashlight and an adequate supply of batteries on hand.
Additionally, he urged residents to have cash on hand in case the banks remain closed and ATMs don't work. He also suggested that residents prepared a disaster-supply kit that includes medicine, a change of clothing for all family members and easily carried books or toys for children.
"Ultimately, our ability to rebound and recover from any event depends on how well we prepare," Parris said.
VITEMA staff is available to assist residents with disaster planning, he said. Call 772-2244 on St. Thomas, 773-2244 on St. Croix or 776-6444 on St. John. Visit ready.gov for disaster-preparedness information.
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