HURRICANE ERNESTO UPDATE

Message by the Premier of the Virgin Islands,

Honourable Dr. Natalio D. Wheatley

Good day again Virgin Islands.

Ernesto developed into a hurricane shortly after passing the Virgin Islands, leaving behind some serious damage. While the storm may not have been gentle with us, by God’s grace, we have made it to the all-clear.

I’ve been in briefings with the National Emergency Operations Centre, where it was shared that we experienced rain of up to 8 inches and wind gusts up to 80 miles per hour. It is no surprise then that we saw so many downed trees.

Before we turn to recovery, I would like to take a moment to recognise what so many of us experienced last night alongside Ernesto’s howling winds: Memories of the storms of 2017. I hope that we can all take comfort in the progress that has been made since that time.

Tomorrow, we will return to our workplaces and routines as best we can. While road work, debris clearance, and other restoration continues, I hope we can all have patience and continue to be cautious. Mariners and beach-goers should be aware that dangerous sea conditions will continue tomorrow.

I also hope that we can take all the lessons that we’ve learned about how to best prepare for storms and put them into action. As we know, we are heading into the busiest period of what forecasters already advised us would be a very busy hurricane season. Please take the time to be ready for what may come.

Thank you all.