The eye of Hurricane Erin stayed well north of the Virgin Islands over the weekend, but the Category 5 storm’s outer rainbands soaked the territory, triggered flash-flood alerts and knocked out electricity for several hours across much of Tortola and the sister islands.
The Department of Disaster Management said preliminary reports showed more than nine inches of rain fell in some parts of Tortola within roughly 18 hours between Saturday afternoon and early Sunday.
Though the deluge caused minor rockslides, blocked roads and other damage, no storm-related deaths or serious injuries were reported in the VI, according to DDM.
As road crews cleared debris on Monday, Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer urged residents in a Facebook video to continue their vigilance throughout the hurricane season.
“We ask persons to be careful — we ask persons to be prepared as well,” the minister said. “And you know, we are in the height of the hurricane season, and we just have to continue praying.”
In a press conference later that day, Mr. Rymer said the hurricane passed about 100 miles to the north.
“While the centre of the storm did not pass directly over our islands, we experienced sustained rainfall and intermittent gusts that tested our systems and our readiness,” he said, adding, “Thanks to proactive ghut clearing, road preparation, and careful coordination among agencies, we were able to mount swift responses to the impacts that did occur.”
He added that power outages during the storm caused water shutoffs, and that water-and-sewerage mitigation works on Tortola were estimated to cost $66,500.
Airport closures
Ahead of the worst of the weather, the BVI Airports Authority closed all three public airports on Friday.
Airports on Virgin Gorda and Anegada closed at 2 p.m., and the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on Beef Island closed at 5 p.m.
On Saturday morning, however, the BVIAA announced that the Beef Island airport would reopen at 8:30 a.m. that day — only to apparently change course again before announcing that the facility would resume operations at noon Sunday.
Storm spins
Meanwhile, Hurricane Erin grew quickly from a tropical storm to a Category Five hurricane.
“From the beginning of the season, forecasters have been telling us about rapid intensification, and it was really so with Erin,” DDM Information and Education Manager Chrystall Kanyuck-Abel said.
Ms. Kanyuck-Abel added that the storm’s behaviour reflected a growing concern among meteorologists.
“From the beginning of the season, forecasters have been telling us about rapid intensification, and it was really so said, so done with Erin,” she explained. “It was textbook rapid intensification. We had a Category 1 on [Friday], and the very next day we had a Cat 5. Wikipedia is making up new terms for it. They’re like, ‘This isn’t rapid intensification, this is explosive intensification.’”
She added that the windspeeds clocked on Anegada were abnormal as well.
“Anegada got a 51-mile-per-hour gust, which is pretty unusual,” she added. “The higher elevations, you see higher wind. So for Anegada to get 51, that’s pretty unusual.”
At sea and along north- and east-facing shores, long period swells and rough surf persisted into Monday, and disaster officials warned of dangerous rip currents.
Mariners were advised to remain in port until conditions eased and to secure vessels and loose gear.
The BVI Ports Authority issued a port advisory on Saturday, closing all ports except the Road Town ferry terminal at noon.
On Sunday, however, the authority said all seaports, offices and warehouses were closed, with the facilities slated to re-open Monday after inspections.
By Monday morning, Erin was tracking north, away from the northern Caribbean.
British Caribbean News
