USVI Hurricane Recovery & Building Forward

We are pleased to share updates with you regarding the USVI hurricane recovery and resiliency projects funded through your support!

Several projects are ongoing, with anticipated end dates throughout 2022. As updates become available on the impact of COVID-19 on planned activities, we will include that information in future reporting.

University of the Virgin Islands (UVI): Glass Recovery USVI (St. Croix/St. Thomas)

The grant funds were used to purchase 7 GL-Sand crushers that are currently being used to pulverize glass beverage bottle waste within the USVI into reusable products such as sandbags, and to hire a student worker to assist with operations. UVI has found partners to receive one of the purchased GL-Sand crushers and can now start ramping up glass recycling efforts. They are working with VI Waste Management Authority who intends to purchase industrial-scale machines to divert all glass beverage bottle waste from the landfills. 2 glass crushers on St. Croix have been provided to the DPNR office in Anna's Hope and remaining grant funds were used to purchase some equipment to support the operation, including a storage shed and a trolley to transport glass and sandbags.125 sandbags were handed to St. Thomas residents during the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season and 4,483 glass bottles were crushed. The project is now complete.

Love City Strong: Minor Home Repairs (St. John)

Funding was used to execute critical hurricane-related home repair projects on St. John that are minor yet essential for a safe and healthy home. The program is open to full time St. John residents who have received little to no recovery funds from other sources, with priority given to seniors, families with young children and infants, and persons with a disability or chronic health condition.This grant was used to pay for repairs on the homes of two senior residents of St. John to not only improve their quality of life in blue skies, but also make the structures more resilient in the event of a future disaster. Both residents served by this funding were living in unsafe conditions for several years, and were unable to finance or organize the necessary repairs. Love City Strong has played an active role in rebuilding homes since the hurricanes in 2017, and they collaborated with Cutting Edge Construction, a Virgin Islands owned construction company, to execute repairs for clients identified by case managers. This project is now complete.

University of the Virgin Islands (UVI): Indoor/Outdoor Campus Recycling (St. Croix/St. Thomas)

UVI started a recycling program on both campuses, but unfortunately the official launch was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent campus closures. Student volunteers have been helping to move recycling units and put up educational posters around campus, and a cardboard and can bailer have been purchased. Due to the ongoing issues caused by the pandemic, remaining grant funds were reallocated to support the needs of the Sustainability Lab on the St. Thomas campus, including installation of solar panels, educational kits for renewable energy, solar demo systems, a portable solar power generator, wind turbines, educational farming kits, and compost bins. This project is still ongoing.

Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Thomas/St. John:  Oswald Harris Community Recovery and Resilience Project (St. Thomas and St. John)

Funding was awarded to work with community residents and partners to ideate and implement recovery and resilience projects important to them in St. Thomas (Oswald Harris Court) and St. John. Grant funds were used to help clean up the common areas in two neighborhoods by hosting community cleanup events and placing painted containers for individuals to deposit trash. Volunteers also fixed and cleaned the community center used by many residents as a gathering space. This project is now complete.

University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Caribbean Green Technology Center: Environmental Native Fruit Tree Program with a focus on Water and Soil Quality in the USVI (St. Thomas)

The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) received partial funding to address food and water security in the territory while building up a network for drought monitoring by enhancing weather station management and calibration. To date, more than 900 drought tolerant trees and growing instructions have been given out to residents and farmers to help rebuild farms devastated by the hurricanes. Over 250 samples of a variety of native fruit tree seeds and saplings, including guavaberry, guava, and soursop, have been planted, which will be given out to the public when they are ready for distribution. Another 700 trees have been ordered and will be gifted to farmers who have water sources and available land and who successfully participated in the first round of tree distribution. More than 4,000 people have taken part in gardening and agriculture projects that educate the community on food security, including the importance of water resources, planning for droughts, and how to grow native fruit trees. Additional workshops and webinars provided include lessons on gardening, farming, selling products, and water quality testing at home. About 1,000 water filters were distributed to the community and weather stations and rain gauges have been ordered for placement at local farms, homes, and public areas to help with drought monitoring. This project is ongoing through June 30, 2022.

The following projects were recently awarded funding and are getting underway. We will have more detailed updates in our next report.

Women’s Coalition of St. Croix: Empowerment for Today and Tomorrow (St. Croix)

Funding will be used to support a Housing Assistance Program that provides financial assistance to families for rent and utilities and to support a Financial Literacy and Workforce Development Program that teaches personal financial management and job readiness skills.

Community Action Now: Savanaeroes United Phase 2 (St. Thomas)

Funding will be used to further develop and grow the Savaneros United Now group by recruiting two Creole and Spanish speaking community navigators to do direct community outreach, get more families in the Savan community involved in communal events, and match them to available resources.