USVI HURRICANE RECOVERY UPDATE AUGUST 2019
TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT
8,973 1,722
LIVES IMPACTED VOLUNTEERS
36,180
VOLUNTEER DAYS
1,470
JOBS COMPLETED
Current Activities On July 31st we said our goodbyes to our incredible volunteers, and officially closed down the St John Program! It is incredibly bittersweet to say farewell after 18 beautiful months on St. John and a total of 23 months in the US Virgin Islands overall.
Volunteer Voices “This experience has been absolutely amazing. From the community of volunteers, to the community of St. John and beyond, this group represents humanity at its best. As an inexperienced volunteer, site supervisors were so patient and supportive of my efforts and Staff is AMAZING! helped me feel confident in my part of the team. I wish I could stay longer; but I can't wait to spread the word of the amazing work that is being done around the world. Thank you for an unforgettable experience!” “AHAH is a very special community I am so happy to have been able to be a part of again. Having the ability to help in communities who need help without necessarily having any previous construction experience is an opportunity I very much appreciate and value. From being on site and working and learning new skills to extra events on and off base to weekends exploring the island it's amazing to be part of such a cool group of different people from different places and backgrounds all in the same place for a similar reason.”
Learn about our programs at
allhandsandhearts.org
Disaster Profile On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma slammed into the US Virgin Islands as a Category 5 storm, with record wind speed of 200 mph. The islands suffered severe wind and flood damage, reducing many areas to rubble. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Maria struck the islands on September 20 as a Category 4 storm and damaged several community facilities and individual homes. The storms severely affected the community, local economy and tourism.
Our Work Thanks to critical support from partners like Norwegian Cruise Lines and Island Spirit Fund, donors, local community and volunteers from around the world, we ran an impactful program on St. Thomas (September ‘17 April ‘19) and St. John since February 16th, 2018. We have responded to the community’s needs with debris removal, mucking and gutting, mold sanitization and now full rebuilds for homes and schools.
About All Hands and Hearts We effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure. We have been awarded a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator five years in a row, placing us in the top 10% of all non-profits evaluated for financial and operational efficiency. Pictured at right: (Top) AHAH volunteer mixes cement on site. (Middle) Volunteer “Irish Dave” frames a window at one of our final rebuild sites.
Our Partners in St. John
info@allhandsandhearts.org (508) 758-8211