Island under tropical storm watch 

PHILIPSBURG--Various contractors working with the Public Works Department were out in force from the crack of dawn on Tuesday, cleaning up in the aftermath of Hurricane Earl and preparing for Tropical Storm Fiona.

On 5:00pm on Tuesday, Tropical Storm Fiona was located near latitude 16.7 North and longitude 57.7 West, or about 270 miles east of the Leeward Islands. Maximum sustained winds were at 40 miles an hour and movement was towards the West North West (290 degrees) at 24 miles per hour.

The storm was expected to make a more Northerly turn on Tuesday night and pass 90 miles northeast of St. Maarten early today. The island is still under hurricane watch, however, and residents are urged to keep a close watch on Fiona, as tropical systems tend to be unpredictable at times.

According to the met office, cloudiness and thundershower activity would increase late Tuesday evening into Wednesday, as Fiona approaches the north-eastern Caribbean. Tropical storms winds extend outward 140 miles from the centre of the system.

Locally some flooding is possible due to the saturated ground. Winds on the SSS Islands will become north-easterly and gradually shift to the north-west. Fresh to possibly strong winds are possible in gusts accompanying thundershowers. Seas could become rough on mainly east and north facing shores.

As for the clean-up efforts in the aftermath of Earl, Benjamin Ortega of the ROB Department explained that contractors were out early clearing and cleaning the main roads. He said the clean-up was executed without a hitch and will continue today.

Several side roads were also cleaned before the contractors moved into all of the districts. "We pretty much have the whole island covered," he said. As clean-up continues today, Ortega asked the public to continue cooperating with the clean-up crews to ensure the work is completed as quickly and effectively as possible.