Bad weather leaves people stranded in Vieques after ferry service suspended

The suspension of maritime transportation service between the offshore island town of Vieques and Ceiba left residents and visitors stranded at the ferry terminals on Tuesday, forcing the activation of assistance measures due to deteriorating sea conditions.

Elsewhere, coastal safety alerts issued, LUMA crews work to restore power

By THE STAR STAFF

The suspension of maritime transportation service between the offshore island town of Vieques and Ceiba left residents and visitors stranded at the ferry terminals on Tuesday, forcing the municipality to activate assistance measures due to deteriorating sea conditions.

Vieques Mayor José “Junito” Corcino Acevedo said that starting in the early morning, volunteers from the non-profit organization COREFI, along with municipal administration personnel, had been distributing food, including hot meals, to people stranded at the ferry terminal due to inclement sea conditions, including dangerous waves exceeding 11 feet.

Likewise, discussions had been held with Ceiba Mayor Samuel “Sammy” Rivera Báez to coordinate the delivery of food to the residents of Vieques who were waiting for service to resume at the ferry terminal at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base in that municipality.

Corcino also announced that the Luis González Camarero indoor court in the Isabel Segunda area, adjacent to the maritime transport terminal, had been made available so that stranded visitors and tourists could wait for the resumption of service in a safe environment.

“As you know, maritime conditions in the waters between Vieques and the municipality of Ceiba, where the main ferry terminal is located, have been deteriorating since yesterday afternoon,” the mayor said in a press release. “In response, the Integrated Transportation Authority (ATI) decided last night to temporarily suspend transportation to and from our island municipality. This has left many people unable to travel to Ceiba. Given this situation, our staff set up a designated area and, since early this morning, together with the COREFI agency, we have been providing food to stranded citizens.”

Corcino said he had been in direct conversation with ATI staff since Monday night.

According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the coasts of the eastern part of the island were experiencing winds of up to 25 knots at midday Tuesday, with isolated gusts reaching 35 knots.

In southwest Puerto Rico, meanwhile, San Germán Mayor Virgilio Olivera Olivera activated the Municipal Emergency Operations Center on Tuesday due to the severe weather.

The mayor said he had “discussed with all our directors, from the various departments, the plan to follow to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors.”

“Currently, several areas are without electricity, and efforts are underway to restore service,” Olivera said. “It rained heavily yesterday, starting in the early morning hours. This morning, the wind gusts were very strong, causing trees to fall.”

“We strongly urge our citizens to stay home unless absolutely necessary, as the bad weather is expected to continue until Thursday,” the mayor added.

In the northwest, Aguadilla Mayor Julio Roldán Concepción urged residents and visitors on Tuesday to stay away from coastal areas due to the strong swells affecting the region, following inspections conducted Sunday afternoon and Monday morning at several points along the coastline.

“Early yesterday afternoon and early this morning I went to the Rompeolas facilities, the Paseo Real Marina, and Colón Park to observe the conditions of the high swells, and today we are already beginning to see the damage caused by them,” the mayor said in a written statement. “Our Emergency Management Office has been carrying out this work since last night and is currently working to protect the public and our public spaces. Today is not the time to visit these areas; it’s time to stay home.”

Roldán added that personnel from the Municipal Emergency Management Office were remaining active, carrying out preventive and protective work in the affected areas, as part of measures to reduce risks to citizens and public spaces in the municipality. He said the municipality will continue to monitor maritime conditions while the swells persist.

Wilfred Torres, the municipal public safety director, reiterated the call for caution and to avoid exposing oneself to the dangerous conditions on the coast.

“The swells we are observing represent a real risk,” he said. “Our personnel are working tirelessly to secure vulnerable areas, but we need the cooperation of the public. Staying away from the coast is essential to avoid incidents.”

LUMA reports 97% of customers with electricity

LUMA Energy reported early Tuesday afternoon that some 97 percent of its customers in Puerto Rico had electricity service, while crews continued restoration efforts in the Bayamón, Mayagüez and San Juan regions, the areas with the largest number of subscribers without power.

“At this time, 97.09 percent of our customers have service,” the company reported in an update released in the afternoon. “We continue working in the Bayamón, Mayagüez, and San Juan regions, which are the most affected.” 

The company stated that its crews are working continuously to address every reported outage and restore service safely.

According to the data released, a total of 44,602 customers remained without service as of 2:10 p.m. Tuesday. The region with the greatest impact was San Juan, with 12,888 customers without power, followed by Mayagüez with 9,202 and Ponce with 7,862 affected customers.

In Caguas, 8,276 customers were reported without service, including 229 outages associated with planned improvements, while Bayamón had 4,038 customers without power. Arecibo had 2,251 affected customers, and Carolina had 85.