PHILIPSBURG–Powerful Category 4 Hurricane Bill passed more than 300 miles Northeast of St. Maarten late last night through early this morning, but its winds were powerful enough to cause moments of anxiety in Philipsburg.
While, generally, residents had breathed a collective sigh of relief earlier in the day as Bill finally made its turn towards the Northwest and away from the island, by 8:30pm, coinciding with a brief but heavy downpour, high sea swells started to have devastating effects along some sections of the coastline.
This was especially noticeable in the Philipsburg area at Foot of Town and along the Great Bay beach promenade (the boardwalk) where heavy-duty equipment had to be used to dump sand to prevent sea water from flowing onto Front Street.
About half of the open beach-front lot adjacent to Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort, which is often used as a parking area or for picnics, was flooded and water from the sea was seen gushing into the nearby canal and flowing into Fresh Pond.
In their bid to stop water from flowing onto Front Street, an emergency crew used heavy equipment to dump sand at the beach-side entrances to Armenhuissteeg and Sisalsteeg, both of which were flooded.
The island did not record any long periods of sustained heavy winds as the storm passed at a distance far enough to keep the island outside of its tropical storm force winds. However, high sea swells were recorded in Cay Bay, Pelican, Great Bay, Mullet Bay, the Northern half of the island and other areas throughout most of the day.
As was expected, the heavy swells dumped a lot of sand in places such as Beacon Hill Road and along the promenade, including in the vicinity of Captain Hodge Wharf.
Utility company GEBE did not report any problems with seaweed or high waves during the course of the day and an assessment is expected to be made today of the power plant facility.
Eight divers were involved in a mishap at sea during the day which was believed to have been related to the deteriorating sea conditions associated with the passing of the storm.
At 11:00pm Wednesday, as Hurricane Bill continued to move Northwest and passed Northeast of the local islands, its centre was located near 20.7 degrees North and 58.9 degrees West or about 315 miles Northeast of St. Maarten. The system was moving Northwest near 17mph with maximum sustained winds near 135mph, making Bill a dangerous Category 4 storm.
However, the EOC stressed that residents living along coastal areas should be vigilant, as hazardous conditions are possible along North- and East-facing shores due to large breaking waves.
It said areas that might be subjected to high seas are Oyster Pond, Guana Bay, Point Blanche, Beacon Hill/airport area, Simpson Bay area, and the Philipsburg/Great Bay beach promenade. Coastal roads may become impassable due to the sea washing sand on the road and motorists should therefore exercise caution.
Also, the Meteorological Service of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba has issued a small craft advisory and a high surf warning. Both will remain in effect until further notice.
Source : The Daily Herald St. Maarten
