Funding

A crucial component to our proposal is the funding portion. FEMA has a variety of grants available designated for safe rooms.

Within the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program and the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants are applicable to St. Croix.14 These specific grants fund the fortification and construction of community safe rooms.15

Also, Pre-Disaster Mitigation Funds are available to fund this proposal.16 In addition, The US Department of Housing and

Urban Development offers the Community Development Block Grant. This grant is designed to “support community development activities to build stronger and more resilient communities.”17

Although these grants are available, they are extremely competitive to win. We propose creating a partnership with students enrolled in the “Winning Non-Profit & Faith Based Grants! Essential 21st Century Proposal Writing Techniques Class” at the University of the Virgin Islands. This partnership would include an internship for students to use their skills learned in the classroom in a real-world scenario.

In the future, the community safe hub can also serve as a natural disaster knowledge dissemination center.

1. “U.S. Virgin Islands Recovery: Additional Actions Could Strengthen FEMA’s Key Disaster Recovery Efforts.” GAO, November 19, 2019. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-20-54

2. “Predictions of Future Global Climate.” Center for Science Education, n.d. https://scied. ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/predictions-future-global-climate.

3. “Flood Hazard Siting and Floor Elevation Criteria for Community Safe Rooms.” Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2021. https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/ documents/fema-com-safe-room-flood_fact-sheet_2021.pdf.

4. “The Alexander Theater: Approved for Renovation & Retrofit!” St. Croix Foundation, n.d. https://www.stxfoundation.org/alexander-theater/

5. “USVI Recovery Leaders Summit Report.” USVI Office of Disaster Recovery, n.d. https:// www.usviodr.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/FINAL-2021-USVI-Recovery-LeadersSummit-Report-RS-1.pdf.

6. Government of the US Virgin Islands. “Capital Projects FY23 & FY24 Operating Budget,” n.d. https://stories.opengov.com/usvi/published/1rdtxgdMW.

7. Virgin Islands Territorial and Emergency Management Agency. “Human Services Announces Territory’s Shelters for the 2019 Season,” 2019. http://www.vitema.vi.gov/ news/news-details/2019/07/30/human-services-announces-territory-s-shelters-for-the2019-season.

8. USVI Department of Health Services. “St. Croix Head Start Center,” n.d. http://www.dhs. gov.vi/OCCRS/documents/HeadStartListings.pdf.

9. Commissioner Kimberley Causey-Gomez. “Updates on Plans for 2021 Hurricane Season Testimony.” Virgin Islands Department of Human Services, 2021. http://www.legvi. org/committeemeetings/Committee%20on%20Homeland%20Security,%20Justice,%20 Public%20Safety/5.25.21%20Homeland%20Security/Testimonies/Testimony.VIDHS%20 Cmte%20Homeland%20Security.MAY%2025%202021.FINAL.KCG.pdf.

10. Commissioner Kimberley Causey-Gomez. “Updates on Plans for 2021 Hurricane Season Testimony.” Virgin Islands Department of Human Services, 2021. http://www.legvi. org/committeemeetings/Committee%20on%20Homeland%20Security,%20Justice,%20 Public%20Safety/5.25.21%20Homeland%20Security/Testimonies/Testimony.VIDHS%20 Cmte%20Homeland%20Security.MAY%2025%202021.FINAL.KCG.pdf.

11. “VITEMA Director Says Agencies Learned from Maria and Irma.” Don Buchanan, October 14, 2022 https://stthomassource.com/content/2022/10/14/vitema-director-says-agencieslearned-from-maria-and-irma/.

12. “St. Croix’s Public Art Trail,” n.d. https://www.gotostcroix.com/st-croix-blog/st-croixspublic-art-trail/.

13. “2010 Island Areas - U.S. Virgin Islands Dataset.” United States Census Bureau, n.d.

14. “Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities.” Federal Emergency Management Agency, November 21, 2022. https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/building-resilientinfrastructure-communities

15. “Safe Room Funding.” Federal Emergency Management Agency, January 12, 2022. https:// www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/safe-rooms/funding

16. “Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant.” Federal Emergency Management Agency, November 21, 2022. https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/pre-disaster

17. “Community Development Block Grant.” HUD Exchange, n.d. https://www.hudexchange. info/programs/cdbg/