Aug. 17, 2007 — With the Virgin Islands keeping a watchful eye on Hurricane Dean, numerous organizations and departments announced Friday that they will be closed. Others sent out advisory notices. Closings and notices will be added as they're received.
— The last ferry from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, to Cruz Bay, St. John, will leave at 5:30 p.m. today.
— The last ferries between Red Hook, St. Thomas, and Cruz Bay, St. John, will leave at 6 p.m. today from each location.
Closings and Delays
— the Innovative Business Office on St. Croix will be closed Saturday. For repairs or to report a problem, customers can call 912 for assistance.
— All FirstBankVI branches are closed Saturday. All branches will be back to normal operations on Monday.
— Sunset Jazz/Harbor Nights event is canceled, but will continue with the live WWOZ broadcast "Back to New Orleans," operating out of the Blue Moon.
— The St. Thomas Swimming Association will be closed Friday and Saturday due to Dean. Maintenance is scheduled through Aug. 31, and the Swimming Association will reopen Sept. 4. An open house scheduled for Saturday will be rescheduled to a date after the Swimming Association reopens. Call 770-7822 or 643-4710 for more information.
— Choice Communications announced early Friday morning that its retail locations will be closed Saturday and could close early Friday depending on the weather. However, the statement from the communications company said, "Our operations of cable TV, broadband (high speed) and dial-up Internet will remain fully functional and we will have emergency crews on standby in case of any failure … to insure that all Virgin Islanders have the vital information needed to keep informed during these possibly dangerous times."
— The Health Department's Dengue Free Zone meeting, which was scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at the Bertha C. Boschulte Junior High School on St. Thomas, has been postponed until further notice due to impending weather conditions.
— The V.I. Waste Management Authority advises all residents and visitors to dispose of all household waste at the waste-disposal bin sites throughout the islands no later than 3 p.m. Friday. The Bovoni and Anguilla Landfills and the Susannaberg Transfer Station will be closed Saturday until further notice. Please stay tuned to media for announcement for reopening of these waste-disposal sites. Residents are reminded to clear their homes and yards of all debris that could become airborne, to remove any loose or low-hanging branches and to secure any outdoor furniture, gas cylinders or other items. The Clean Team has been placed on standby for the planned weekend Clean Up event on St. Croix. Community bin drops will be announced after the storm has passed.
UVI
— the University of the Virgin Islands will close at 3 p.m. Friday.
— UVI faculty convocation, which was scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. Friday, has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Monday in B110 (Chase Auditorium) on the St. Thomas campus and the Theater of the Melvin Evans Center on the St. Croix campus.
— UVI late registration and the drop/add period are extended to 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday in the Registrar's Office (Classroom Administration building, second floor) on St. Thomas and in the Enrollment Services Office on the fourth level of the Melvin Evans Center on the St. Croix campus.
— Weekend orientation activities on both UVI campuses are suspended and will be rescheduled. All on-campus students are advised to monitor the UVI Emergency Operations Hotlines for further updates and to stay in direct contact with residence hall staff.
Notices
— The Planning and Natural Resources Department advised residents of the environmental impact caused by storm water runoff from Dean. There may be an elevated health risk to anyone swimming in storm-water-impacted areas as a result of increased concentrations of bacteria and other pollutants. Therefore, Planning advises the public to refrain from using the coastal waters throughout the territory until further notice. Planning also advises parents to instruct their children to keep away from storm-water-impacted beaches as well as areas with manholes and storm-water flooding. Planning will continues to monitor the impacted areas and waters and will be providing regular beach and swimming advisories.
— Planning's Earth Change Program also advises all contractors, developers and home builders to immediately maintain and implement additional erosion and sediment control practices at all areas where property is cleared, graded, filled or otherwise disturbed. They are also advised to remove or secure construction materials so they don't become airborne.
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