USVI HURRICANE UPDATE - ST. THOMAS & ST. JOHN (November 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 ● We have completed our second home rebuild on St. John! ● With some response work is still needed, debris removal and muck and gut work continues. ● Volunteers are helping a local school set up a woodshop for students. ● We are working with Friends of the National Park to set up volunteer camps for youth.
St. Thomas ● After washing and painting, we’ve sealed our first concrete roof to keep the home of a local woman safe and dry after roof damage. ● On another local home, we have reframed the walls and will continue work to a full interior retrofit and roof waterproofing. ● Now that volunteers have completed muck & gut and roof repair on our current preschool project, an interior retrofit is underway. ● At Youth Development Academy, we have encased two staircases and are currently finishing floors, walls, and cabinets.
This home was AHAH’s first rebuild site on St. John, in progress (left) and completed (right).
A volunteer saws the wooden slabs that will form the interior walls and reinforce the roof of a local home. These wooden sheets of T1-11 are critical materials in combating mold growth in homes on humid islands.
The vinyl plank flooring that this volunteer is installing in Little Blossom Preschool is useful in areas prone to heavy storms and flooding. The planks can withstand extreme weather and be reinstalled in case of future events.
OUR IMPACT
7,516
PEOPLE IMPACTED
1,348
JOBS COMPLETED
1,289
VOLUNTEERS
27,269
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