St. Thomas and St. John public schools will be closed Tuesday because of Hurricane Gonzalo, tAn announcement will be made by 5 or 5:30 a.m. (This story has been updated. See above.)
Government House spokesman Jean Greaux said the government would announce at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday whether government offices would be open or closed.
he Education Department said in a press release. The department will determine early Tuesday morning whether St. Croix schools will open. The Human Services Department and the American Red Cross are continuing coordination for the opening of shelters if necessary. The Julius E. Sprauve School will serve as a shelter on St. John. The St. Thomas shelter remains on standby.
Human Services will close its St. Thomas and St. John senior centers and head-starts on Tuesday.
The Public Works Department advised drivers to avoid known flood-prone areas by seeking alternate routes once the rains subside. On St. Croix these areas are La Grange at Frederiksted, Gallows Bay in Christiansted and Melvin Evans Highway in the vicinity of Diageo. On St. Thomas, areas prone to flooding are Brookman Road, Bolongo Bay and Crown Mountain. Crews have been dispatched to these areas to implement protective measures and to mitigate the potential effects of the predicted rainfall.
In anticipation of the substantial rainfall, all burials in public cemeteries scheduled for Tuesday will be postponed until further notice.
The Licensing and Consumers Affairs Department issued a price freeze order effective at noon Monday.
More than 3,000 visitors are currently in the territory. The Tourism Department has activated its USVI Updates website to provide storm information to visitors, Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty said. The department is also working to accommodate arriving air passengers who were scheduled to travel on to the British Virgin Islands.
Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas closed at 7 p.m. but the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix remains open.
The V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency has activated its Emergency Operations Centers territorywide. A Federal Emergency Management Agency Incident Management Assistance Team is currently co-located at VITEMA headquarters in St. Thomas.
