With the winds and rain of Tropical Storm Ernesto heading north by Thursday morning, life on St. John made a bid towards normalcy. The first challenge to be met after the storm was transportation.
Traffic returned to the island’s main thoroughfare along Centerline Road. Cars and trucks drove past tree-trimming crews tackling low-hanging branches. Then there were the piles of rocks, mud and trees sent downhill in the storm near Bordeaux Mountain.
Closer to Cruz Bay, motorists hoping to hop a barge found themselves waiting … and waiting…
An official at the Port Authority said they were waiting for the Coast Guard to complete an after-storm inspection. Once it was done around 11 a.m., ferries and barges could resume service.
‘Till then, these St. John barges stayed tied to the pier in Cruz Bay Creek.
But for those drivers able to get around the day after Ernesto’s appearance, there was an uncommon sight. Improvements to the newly refurbished pickleball court near the gravel lot were easier to see after storm-force winds rearranged the fencing.
Pickleball is a popular pastime among St. John residents and visitors. Officials at Sports, Parks and Recreation oversaw repairs to the court and to the nearby Orville Brown Basketball Court after both were damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
