Oct. 15, 2008 — V.I. residents, many with numerous hurricanes on their resumes, prepared for Hurricane Omar Wednesday, shuttering their homes and businesses and calmly running last-minute errands.
Heavy rains Wednesday let residents know the hurricane was getting closer, causing flooding across the territory. The territory remains under a hurricane warning.
"Many roads are flooded and impassable," said Police Commissioner James McCall at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. "Several roads, including the Savan road on St. Thomas, the road in front of the Starfish Market on St. John, and the Hope Road from Hovensa to Sunny Isles on St. Croix, have experienced heavy flooding and are impassable, or have been closed to traffic."
Vehicles attempting to traverse some roads have stalled in the rising waters, he said. He urged motorists to stay indoors and off the roads because driving is hazardous.
The territory is on a 6 p.m. curfew Wednesday. After 6 p.m., law-enforcement officers will stop all vehicles on public roads, McCall said. All business owners — with no exceptions — should make all efforts to allow their employees and staff to go home in advance of the 6 p.m. curfew so they can be off the roads before the 6 p.m., he said.
Law-enforcement officers will take people into custody if they are found on the roads after curfew.
"At this time we do not know what the road conditions will be after Omar passes," McCall said. "It may be necessary for agencies like WAPA and Public Works to clear roads so it can be safe for the public."
In Frenchtown on St. Thomas Tuesday evening, fishermen haul Julian 'Yum-Yum' Magras' boat, the Yum-Z, to safety.
The commissioner urged residents to stay where they are and not go "sightseeing" first thing in the morning.
At Weather Station Zephyr, located at Ajax Peak, St. John, rain fell at a rate of 7.38 inches per hour at 12:40 p.m. Wednesday. Between midnight and 5 p.m., 1.79 inches of rain fell.
As of the 5 p.m. Wednesday update, Hurricane Omar was still a Category 1 storm with winds of 90 mph and gusts to 115 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend out 15 miles, with tropical-storm force winds reaching out 115 miles.
By the time Hurricane Omar reaches the Virgin Islands, forecasters expect the storm to reach Category 2 status with winds between 96 and 110 mph.
"The worst of it on St. Croix will be around 2 a.m.," said meteorologist Belkys Melendez at the National Weather Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The center is expected to pass about 12 miles to the northwest of St. Croix on a track for the Anegada Passage.
St. Thomas and St. John will see the worst of the storm between 3 and 4 a.m.
Storm surge should reach four to six feet on St. Croix and one to two feet on St. Thomas and St. John.
At 5 p.m., the storm was centered at 15.9 degrees north latitude and 66.1 degrees west longitude. The barometric pressure stood at 973 millibars, or 28.72 inches. This puts the center of Hurricane Omar about 144 miles southwest of St. Croix, 182 miles south of St. Thomas, and 190 miles south of St. John, Melendez said.
The storm was moving northeast at 14 mph.
Under the state of emergency called by Gov. John deJongh Jr., McCall activated all law-enforcement agencies to duty during the passing of Hurricane Omar. To maintain public safety, protect life and property, assist with emergency evacuation, and provide security at designated shelters, law-enforcement officers have been mobilized from the Supreme Court, Planning and Natural Resources Department, Heath Department, Internal Revenue Bureau, and High Intensity Drug Enforcement, joining the V.I. Police Department officers and its auxiliary officers.
Residents should move to designated shelters if they believe their home may be impacted by the storm, said Police Chief Rodney Querrard on St. Thomas-St. John and Water Island and Acting Chief Oakland Benta on St. Croix. It will be difficult for law enforcement to assist in evacuation at the height of the hurricane, they said.
Ports across the territory are closed, said Ricardo Castrodad, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman.
Across the territory, most houses were buttoned up with shutters and boards, but on St. Thomas, James Leonard said he only shuttered one side of his own home. He thought the storm would veer and hit Anegada, leaving the Virgin Islands essentially unscathed.
Stores also were busy with residents stocking up on hurricane supplies.
On St. Croix, Five Corners and the area near U.S. District Court in Christiansted were flooded Wednesday afternoon. Rattan Road is a river flowing downhill. At 1 p.m. the Melvin Evans and Queen Mary highways were beginning to flood severely west of Frederiksted.
Isolated power and cable television outages were reported. Some stations on St. Croix and St. John were out of gas or closed.
On St. Thomas, Mandela Circle and the road through Havensight were flooded. The gut in front of Peace Corp School was overflowing Wednesday afternoon.
In Frenchtown, fisherman had pulled in all their boats.
Power in Mandahl was off Wednesday afternoon.
In Coral Bay, St. John, the harbor was brown with runoff from the hillsides above. Lights went off but came back on several times throughout the afternoon Wednesday.
Anticipating that phone and Internet service will be down, Coral Bay Community Council said in a news release that it would open its office from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday through Sunday to help people find assistance and for people to offer volunteer help to others. The office is located across from Skinny Legs Bar and Restaurant in the Ford building.
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