WHILE WAPA EXECS NETWORK IN GUYANA, STT & ALL OF ST. JOHN PREPARE FOR MASSIVE OVERNIGHT GRID SHUTDOWNWHILE WAPA EXECS NETWORK IN GUYANA, STT & ALL OF ST. JOHN PREPARE FOR MASSIVE OVERNIGHT GRID SHUTDOWNBy: Virgin Islands Free Press News DeskST. THOMAS — Fresh off sending a delegation to the CARILEC conference in Georgetown, Guyana to discuss the “future of Caribbean energy,” the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) dropped a late-night reality check on territory residents: huge swaths of St. Thomas and 100% of St. John will be plunged into darkness this Wednesday night. According to a public announcement released by the utility, WAPA and contractor Haugland VI will execute a planned overnight shutdown starting Wednesday, August 5, at 11:00 p.m. and lasting until Thursday, August 6, at 6:00 a.m. To allow crews to safely work near high-voltage lines, WAPA is de-energizing Feeder 12—effectively pulling the plug on eastern St. Thomas, major commercial hubs like Tutu Park Mall and Yacht Haven Grande, and the entire island of St. John. The reality on the ground points to an authority caught in a perpetual cycle of triage:Treading Water on FEMA Dollars: While WAPA routinely touts multi-million-dollar federal grants, execution remains agonizingly slow. While WAPA routinely touts multi-million-dollar federal grants, execution remains agonizingly slow.