USVI HURRICANE UPDATE - ST. THOMAS & ST. JOHN (December 2018)
CURRENT ACTIVITIES (RESPONSE & RECOVERY) Volunteers on St. John and St. Thomas continue to work hard to bring relief in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. We’re transitioning into recovery phase to bring lasting strength back to the islands. St. John ● Recovery efforts are in full swing on St. John, as volunteers have completed three rebuild sites. As we continue assessments of damaged homes on the island, the rebuild teams are staying busy repairing and rebuilding home interiors and roofs. ● Cleaning and clearing, as well as sanitization and debris removal, continue on St. John as the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria still weighs on the community. St. Thomas ● We have completed work on the second building at Little Blossom Daycare! Volunteers have cleared and sanitized the interior, followed by a full interior retrofit. We repaired the roof to be hurricane resilient by installing hurricane ties and new galvalume. The daycare was finished with a fresh coat of paint, so the children can return to their after-school program at Little Blossom 2. ● At Alvin McBean Park, volunteers are repairing fencing around the ballpark, tennis courts, basketball court, and batting cages, making it possible for kids to play safely in the park. ● The local Youth Development Academy is a space where young adults can spend time learning martial arts and utilizing the music studio. AHAH volunteers are currently installing the second layer of drywall to soundproof the music studio so that students can return to the center to record.
Left: Volunteers prepare the ceiling for drywall that will cover the insulation at building #2 of Little Blossom Daycare. Right: The interior of completed Little Blossom, with fresh floor, walls, windows, and ceiling!
Site Supervisor Abby for our Giving Tuesday “I Build the Future” campaign - Click the photo to see a video of how we are helping homeowners build the future on St. Thomas.
Volunteers pose for a group photo after a day of clearing heavy debris at a response site on St. John.
OUR IMPACT
7,575
PEOPLE IMPACTED
1,379
JOBS COMPLETED
1,374
VOLUNTEERS
28,687
VOLUNTEER DAYS
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 have severely affected the community, tourism, and local economy.
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, All Hands and Hearts - Smart Response has run an impactful program on St. Thomas since September 27th, 2017 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.
OUR MISSION To effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. By listening to local people, and deploying a unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, we rebuild safe, resilient schools, homes and other community infrastructure.
OUR USVI PARTNERS
5 YEARS IN A ROW! Only 10% of charities have received at least 5 consecutive 4-star ratings. This means All Hands and Hearts outperforms most of the other 1.5 million charities in America in operational and financial efficiency.
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For additional information: Ethan C. Yake, Chief Partnership Officer ethan@allhandsandhearts.org or (518) 669-7147 www.allhandsandhearts.org