Hurricane Lenny slammed directly into St Croix with winds close to 145 MPH (230 KPH) early last Thursday. Lenny gained strength from last Wednesday and was close to being a Category Five hurricane. Category Five hurricanes are potentially catastrophic with the ability to rip off roofs, destroy small buildings and raise tides to 18 feet (5.4 meters) above normal. In September 1998, Hurricane Georges caused Alcoa to shut the St Croix refinery for 10 days to undergo some repairs on the refinery's roof after Georges slammed into the island. Company officials were not immediately available for further comment.