and St.Croix is never mentioned in ANY of the news reports i seen yet... they are usually the biggest whiners of the lot but no where as rich as St.Thomas, very odd
Posted on 09/08/2017 2:48:34 PM PDT by Jagermonster
St. John and St. Thomas residents recount tales of survival and resilience as the eye of one of the largest Atlantic Ocean hurricanes passed directly overhead.
There was only one staticky satellite line available to residents of St. John attempting to reach family and friends on the US mainland Friday morning. On Wednesday, the US Virgin islands were hit by hurricane Irma, whipping through the area as a Category 5 storm with wind speeds up to 185 miles per hour for more than 24 hours.
"I've had to sit through a Taliban gunfight, and this was scarier," Laura Strickling told The Associated Press. Ms. Strickling moved to St. Thomas with her husband three years ago. She used to visit him in Afghanistan when he worked there.
"The noise [of Irma] was just deafening. It was so loud we thought the roof was gone. The windows were boarded up, so it was hot and we had no AC, no power," Strickling said.
As the storms recede, reports on the damage left behind trickled out slowly Friday as residents and visitors to the islands contacted family members. Before and after photos posted by residents on Facebook and Instagram show the island’s trees stripped of their leaves and boats tossed like discarded toys along the shore.
Teri Wine, a resident of St. John and a concierge at The Westin St. John Resort Villas, was in South Carolina during the storm. She has been attempting to contact friends and neighbors since the hurricane hit. So far, she has been able to talk to a neighbor who reports that it took him two hours to walk a quarter mile down a road because of all the destruction in his path.
Four people were reported killed in the US Virgin Islands, according to the Associated Press.
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
The theme of the article is "Spirit of Humanity"
I’m an annual visitor to St. John. Already rented the villa for April. The images from St. John are brutal. Coral Bay on the east end got it the worst. We’ll still go if we’re able and they want tourists at that time, but even that looks iffy.
This sounds very different from what is happening in St. Martin. There looting is rampant. The Dutch governor said that people are taking what they “need.” TV’s, jewelry...I don’t think so.
I see the “up to 185 mph” mentioned a lot. The sustained speeds were much, much lower, I believe, or there would not be a house standing.
and St.Croix is never mentioned in ANY of the news reports i seen yet... they are usually the biggest whiners of the lot but no where as rich as St.Thomas, very odd
I’ve heard the British VI are much better to visit than the U.S. VI. True?
We’ve done both and St. John is our favorite. Snorkeling and nature hikes are what we’re after. We rent a 4wd wrangler and hit the beaches on the east & south end. Virgin Gorda is a similar island and has some cool beaches like the Baths, but it can be crowded. St Thomas and Tortola are both busy, more commercial and see cruise ships. But if you surf, go to Tortola. That said, they’re all pretty equal at this point: Devastated.
surprising what difference a few miles makes so far i've seen only one picture and that was of a downed telephone/electric pole
i used to live there
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