Residents of the Virgin Islands battered by Hurricane Irma began to assess damage on Thursday while also looking ahead to the next possible threat — Hurricane Jose. Irma's destruction, however, has made it harder to find out where they stand.
Screenshot from webcam situated in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands on Sept. 6, 2017.
(Screenshot via YouTube/Time)
Screenshot via YouTube/Time
In this image made from video, neighbors clear debris from the road in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models.
(AP Photo/Ian Brown)
AP Photo/Ian Brown
This image made from video shows several damaged houses by Hurricane Irma in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models.
(AP Photo/Ian Brown)
AP Photo/Ian Brown
In this image made from video shows a damage to a post office caused by Hurricane Irma in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models.
(AP Photo/Ian Brown)
AP Photo/Ian Brown
In this image made from video, motorists remove debris caused by Hurricane Irma from the road in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models.
(AP Photo/Ian Brown)
AP Photo/Ian Brown
This image made from video shows flooding caused by Hurricane Irma on Charlotte Amalie, in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models.
(AP Photo/Ian Brown)
AP Photo/Ian Brown
This image made from video shows damage from Hurricane Irma in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. Hurricane Irma weakened slightly Thursday with sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm boasted 185 mph winds for a more than 24-hour period, making it the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm was expected to arrive in Cuba by Friday. It could hit the Florida mainland by late Saturday, according to hurricane center models.
(AP Photo/Ian Brown)
AP Photo/Ian Brown
A woman pushes out floodwaters on her property after the passing of Hurricane Irma, in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. Heavy rain and 185-mph winds lashed the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico’s northeast coast as Irma, the strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever measured, roared through Caribbean islands on its way to a possible hit on South Florida.
(AP Photo/Johnny Jno-Baptiste)
AP Photo/Johnny Jno-Baptiste
A man surveys the wreckage on his property after the passing of Hurricane Irma, in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. Heavy rain and 185-mph winds lashed the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico’s northeast coast as Irma, the strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever measured, roared through Caribbean islands on its way to a possible hit on South Florida.
(AP Photo/Johnny Jno-Baptiste)
AP Photo/Johnny Jno-Baptiste
Fishermen remove their wooden boat from the sea as a precaution against Hurricane Irma, in the seaside slum of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. Heavy rain and 185-mph winds lashed the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico’s northeast coast Wednesday as Hurricane Irma roared through Caribbean islands. The northern parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti could see 10 inches of rain.
(AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)
WASHINGTON — Residents of the Virgin Islands battered by Hurricane Irma began to assess damage on Thursday while also looking ahead to the next possible threat — Hurricane Jose.
“We’re praying Jose goes north of us,” said John Klein from the U.S. island of St. Thomas. He also owns White Bay Villas and Seaside Cottages on Jost Van Dyke, in the British Virgin Islands.
Klein said he’s desperate for information: Due to the severe damage and dire conditions on both islands, there are no ferries running between them, no power, no internet, no email and no local cell service.
“It’s just miraculous that whatever line it is that I’m on works — I don’t even know what line it is,” Klein said, using a friend’s cellphone to communicate with WTOP.
“We have to prioritize where we put our time and effort right now, and whether we’re trying to assess damage, clean stuff up or get ready for the next hit,” Klein said.
From his home on the east end of St. Thomas near Red Hook, Klein described seeing entire tops of some homes torn off, roofs and solar panels lying everywhere, and trees, debris and power poles blocking roads.
“We are pretty much on our own,” he said.
At the same time, he noted that people holed up in his home have the benefit of a generator, a few days of food and water that can be removed by bucket from a cistern.
“We’re good. Everybody here who’s in this house is healthy — exhausted, but we’re trying pull it together,” Klein said.
White Bay Villas’ guest relations manager, Bonnie Martin, lives in Annapolis, Maryland. She said she’s been receiving reports on the condition of businesses on Jost Van Dyke.
“I’ve gotten confirmation that Ivan’s is gone. I just got a picture that One Love on White Bay is gone. I heard that (the customs check-in building) got hit; the docks are bad,” Martin said Thursday afternoon.
“This is not confirmed, but I’ve heard that any wooden structure is gone.”
Martin said offers of help are pouring in. People are offering money, their time and labor, but the challenge will be getting people and supplies to the island, Martin said.
Airports on St. Thomas and Beef Island, which is east of Tortola, are closed and ferries aren’t running. There’s devastating damage everywhere, and Martin worries rebuilding efforts for larger islands might be prioritized over the needs of smaller ones.
“Everyone needs help. I just hope that there’s enough people, enough [of an] outpouring, that they take care of everyone on those islands, Martin said.
“It’s not going to be easy and it’s not going to be quick.”
Kristi King is a veteran reporter who has been working in the WTOP newsroom since 1990. She covers everything from breaking news to consumer concerns and the latest medical developments.
