Vandals were likely to blame for St. John’s electrical outage overnight Saturday, Water and Power Authorities said.
WAPA technicians found “distinctive cuts to the transmission infrastructure that appeared to be deliberate,” officials said in a written statement, surmising, “the damage was not the result of equipment failure.”
WAPA immediately contacted the Virgin Islands Police Department, which was investigating the incident, officials said. WAPA crews were also considering “additional protective measures” to further safeguard critical St. John infrastructure.
“This type of action is extremely dangerous,” said Karl Knight, CEO and WAPA executive director. “Tampering with high-voltage electrical infrastructure could have resulted in serious injury or death to the individual or individuals involved.”
Beyond the immediate danger, the damage disrupted essential electrical service to the St. John community and affected residents, businesses, and critical services across the island, Knight said.
“WAPA acknowledges the frustration many St. Johnians experienced during the outage and thanks the community for their support and understanding while crews worked to restore service,” WAPA officials said.
Electricity returned to the island at 11:46 a.m. Sunday, they said. However, residents took to social media to say the power was off again, and a text alert update at 6:15 a.m. Monday stated, “WAPA crews worked through the night actively repairing damaged infrastructure and are currently undergoing testing prior to restoration,” with an updated time of 9:30 a.m.
WAPA urged anyone with information regarding the vandalism to contact the Virgin Islands Police Department at 340-774-2211 or 911.
“The Authority reminds the public that protecting critical infrastructure is a shared responsibility. Damage to the electrical system not only puts lives at risk but can interrupt essential services for the entire community,” officials said.
