USVI HURRICANE UPDATE - ST. THOMAS & ST. JOHN (January 2019)
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 ● Volunteers on St. John further their recovery efforts with four rebuild sites currently underway. ● We are currently partitioning walls on two of the homes, installing doors on another, and wrapping up with interior and exterior paint on another. St. Thomas ● With the second building at Little Blossom Daycare complete, youth can return to their after-school programs following the Christmas holiday. ● All Hands and Hearts has completed our first full-scale recovery project in St. Thomas, as volunteers have finalized work on the entire interior and roof of a beneficiary. ● Volunteers continue work to repair and replace damaged and destroyed roofs throughout the island. ● At the Youth Development Academy, where young adults can learn martial arts and utilize the music studio, AHAH volunteers have finished the drywalling and mudding, and the studio will be back up and running in no time.
AHAH is fully replacing the roof on Dorothy’s home. Dorothy’s roof was completely destroyed in the storm. Volunteers are constructing a roof with strong gabling and hurricane ties to keep her home
All Hands and Hearts has fully retrofitted Abraham’s home, which the hurricanes damaged to the point of being unlivable and unsound. On the left, you can see the freshly completed main room. The walls are made of wood that will resist mold in the humidity of the island. The vinyl plank flooring will also be mold resistant and reusable in case of future storm damage. With a strong new roof and hurricane ties, Abraham can feel safe and secure in his newly retrofitted home. On the right, Abraham and his family spend some time with Site Supervisor Evan, who led the work on their home.
OUR IMPACT
7,226
PEOPLE IMPACTED
1,403
JOBS COMPLETED
1,422
VOLUNTEERS
30,107
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