NPS - National Park Service

15/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 15/08/2024 23:26

Virgin Islands National Park Status Update

News Release Date:
August 15, 2024

Contact:Ahmad Toure

ST. John, U.S. Virgin Islands- Post storm clean up efforts after the passing of Tropical Storm Ernesto are under way. Ports reopened as of 11:00 AM Thursday August 15, 2024. Virgin Islands National Park began assessing and mitigating storm damage on the morning of Wednesday August 14, 2024. The local Incident Management Team (IMT) was activated before the storm's arrival on Sunday August 11, 2024. The Team discussed yesterday's storm damage assessments at their morning briefing and have concluded that the clean-up process may take a little longer than estimated to restore the park fully to a pre-storm state. Staff and visitor safety is the main priority for the park. The park is prioritizing clearing roads, parking lots, and beaches of hazard trees and debris. The following park sites will reopen for normal business hours as planned on Friday August 16, 2024: Cruz Bay Visitor Center and bookstore and the Trunk Bay Fee Station. Caneel Bay entrance will remain closed at this time.

Mariners

Virgin Island Coral Reef National Monument mooring systems are again open for public use as of 2:00 PM August 14, 2024. The Cruz Bay Finger Pier is now open as of 11:00 AM August 15, 2024. The Caneel Bay dock remains closed to public use.

Mariners with vessels secured or anchored in Hurricane Hole have a 72-hour time limit to remove their vessels after the storm warning has passed; vessels must be removed by 2:00 p.m. August 17, 2024. The Storm Berth Permit Office will be sending a reminder for permit holders of the 72-hour time limit to remove their vessels from the storm berths.

Park Facilities and Amenities

Virgin Islands National Park IMT anticipates that clean-up will continue into next week. Some park amenities such as bathrooms and trashcans will not be available in some areas. Those areas will remain in a status of Leave No Trace.

The Cruz Bay Visitor Center and bookstore, and the Trunk Bay Fee Station will return to regular operating hours as of Friday morning August 16, 2024.

As clean-ups are completed the park alerts on the website will be removed; indicating those areas are safe and open for public visitation and use.

Concessions

Cinnamon Bay campground still plans to reopen this evening, August 15, 2024, for current reservations and dinner service at the Raintree Cafe.

Trunk Bay Concessions reopened Thursday August 15, 2024, and Cinnamon Bay Campground will fully reopen on Friday August 16, 2024.

Caneel Bay Beach Club at Honeymoon will remain closed on Friday August 16, 2024, but may reopen over the weekend. Please check directly with the concessionaire for their current status. Taxi service to Honeymoon Beach is suspended until clean-up in that area is complete and the Caneel Bay entrance can be reopened. Honeymoon Beach can still be reached via Lind Point Trail or by boat.

Other

The public meeting scheduled for August 14, 2024, with the topic, "General Information Regarding the National Park Service Request for Qualifications Process," was postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date after the park has resumed normal operations.

Stay safe and thank you all for your attention to these matters. We will continue providing updates via the park website alerts and Facebook page.