CAY HILL--Tropical Storm Maria was like a dress rehearsal for St. Maarten because while residents prepared and even battened down the hatches for heavy rains and strong winds starting from Friday afternoon and throughout Saturday, none came. It was only after Maria had almost cleared the local area that the ocean churned up, the strong winds came and some rain poured down.
The Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) issued the "all clear" at 5:00pm Saturday signalling that Maria was no longer a threat to the country. At that time, the storm system was located 25 miles Northeast of Antigua, moving Northwest and forecast to pass 25 miles North of St. Maarten as a tropical depression later that night.
Periods of heavy rainfall are still expected throughout today, Monday, with flooding of low-lying areas and street flooding still possible. Motorists are urged by the EOC to drive with caution if street flooding is encountered.
According to the U.S. National Hurricane Centre in Miami, Maria originally was expected to pass close to St. Maarten. This gave rise to a tropical storm warning for St. Maarten being issued at 11:00am on Thursday and led to the activation of the country's hurricane preparedness plan. A mini-meeting of the EOC was held at midday Friday to review the state of preparedness as Maria approached.
By Saturday at 11:00am, Maria had slowed its approach to the Lesser Antilles and was barely a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Centre.
Princess Juliana International Airport remained open, but many flights were cancelled due to the anticipated deterioration in weather conditions.
Ferry service between the island and Anguilla was cancelled early Saturday.
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