Virgin Islands Residents Pay the Price for WAPA’s Power Failures With Costly Appliance Losses

After losing a refrigerator, washing machine, air conditioner and television all within the last month and a half due to frequent power outages from the Water and Power Authority, a pastor and St. Thomas resident turned to the utility for support. The pastor, who asked that his name not be disclosed, described a disappointing response from a WAPA electrician. “One person told me, ‘you think you in the States?’ That was an answer.”

The employee informed the resident of the authority's long standing policy of not being liable to its customers for personal losses caused by irregular services— a disclaimer written in the contract for service on every customer's monthly electric bill. The resident was then forced to turn to his own pocket, paying what he estimated to be around $5,000 for the appliances, which he described as necessities that he “can’t do without.”

“I got such a big setback because I have to do what I have to do. I have savings but yet now I can't take my vacation that I wanted. I can't go here when I wanted. I can't even go have a good dinner,” the resident said, explaining the personal implications of being financially responsible for the damage caused by the recent outages and fluctuations. This additional unplanned expenditure comes on top of having to pay monthly electric bills which are almost three times higher than the U.S. average.‌