Restoration work continued across the territory last week with service restored to an additional 1,762 customers since January 1. Restoration levels now stand at 92% on St. Croix, 99% on St. John, and 91% on St. Thomas.
A No Customer Left Behind campaign is underway on St. John aimed at reconnecting all customers who can be restored to the electric grid, and who may have been bypassed during the first phase of service restoration. Similar campaigns will be launched for St. Thomas and St. Croix as we get closer to the end of restoration on those islands. A No Customer Left Behind telephone hotline number, 340-715-8020, has been established for St. John customers to call. The customer’s information will be collected by a WAPA employee on St. John, and will then be channeled to the appropriate divisions so restoration can be scheduled. The goal is once a customer makes contact with the No Customer Left Behind hotline, assuming all documentation is in order, that customer will be restored within 72 hours.
Self-service payment kiosks are available at the Customer Service offices on St. Croix and St. Thomas during normal business hours, and at Petrus Plaza on St. Thomas, seven days a week, 6 am -11 pm.
Customer Service Offices operate Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Sunny Isle on St. Croix, at Port of Sale Mall on St. Thomas, and at The Marketplace on St. John 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
WAPA is issuing bills for electrical and water service provided prior to September 6. Late fees usually assessed after the due date are being waived. However, customers are being encouraged to make payment once they have received their bills. Again, these bills are for services provided prior to Hurricane Irma.
Customers are advised that WAPA continues to receive regular shipments of materials and supplies in both districts to complete the restoration. Transformers, which are vital to the continued restoration of service, are being dispatched with crews as soon as they arrive.
Licensed electricians must certify, in writing, that a structure covered by a blue roof is safe to re-energize before electrical restoration can take place.
If your electrical meter was removed by WAPA, you are required to complete repairs to the meter base and or weather head, have the work certified, in writing, by a licensed electricians and notify the Customer Service office that the repair work has been completed. All meter removal and associated reconnection fees have been waived during this restoration period.
The latest information on the restoration effort is available on the WAPA website, www.viwapa.vi and on Facebook: Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority.
