Public Works cleans up after Earl

PHILIPSBURG--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.

  Tropical Storm Fiona was located at 11:00pm Tuesday near latitude 16.9 North and longitude 59.4 West, or about 260 miles East of the Northeastern Caribbean. Maximum sustained winds were 40 miles an hour and It was moving West-Northwest at 20 miles per hour.

  The storm was expected to take a more Northerly turn Tuesday night and pass 90 miles Northeast of St. Maarten early today. The island is under tropical storm watch 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 was expected to increase late Tuesday evening into Wednesday, as Fiona approaches the Northeastern Caribbean. Tropical storms winds extend outward up to 140 miles from the centre of the system.

  Locally some flooding is possible due to the saturated ground. Winds on the local islands will become Northeasterly and gradually shift to the Northwest. 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 had been out early clearing and cleaning the main roads. He said the cleanup had been executed without a hitch and would 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 cleanup continues today, Ortega asked the public to continue cooperating with the cleanup crews to ensure the work is completed as quickly and effectively as possible.