As a New Yorker, the one thing that we all know about Bloomberg is that he puts his money where is mouth is. My question is why are we so slow acting to help our fellow Americans? This island is totally destroyed. Why does it take an ex-Mayor to help and our government so slow?
I am personally disgusted that this is hardly a blip being followed by the media and our government is so slow to help our fellow Americans. Why does it have to take Mike Bloomberg to bring this to everyone's attention?
President Donald J. Trump Approves U.S. Virgin Islands Disaster Declaration
Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands and ordered Federal aid to supplement recovery efforts in the territory due to Hurricane Irma beginning on September 6, 2017, and continuing.
The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the islands of St. John and St. Thomas.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Federal funding is available to the territory and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in all of the islands in the territory.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures throughout the territory.
Brock Long, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named William L. Vogel as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Damage assessments are continuing in other areas, and additional areas may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.
Residents and business owners who have sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362), or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV .
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
September 10, 2017
President Donald J. Trump Amends U.S. Virgin Islands Disaster Declaration
Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump made additional disaster assistance available to the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands by authorizing an increase in the level of Federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures undertaken in the U.S. Virgin Islands as a result of Hurricane Irma beginning on September 6, 2017, and continuing.
Under the President’s major disaster declaration issued for the U.S. Virgin Islands on September 7, 2017, Federal funding was made available for Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation, and Other Needs Assistance at 75 percent Federal funding of total eligible costs.
President Trump increased cost sharing to 90 percent Federal funding for debris removal, including direct Federal assistance, and 100 percent Federal funding for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for 30 days from the start of the incident period, and then a 90 percent Federal cost share thereafter.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV .
You should know by now Perrie that the MSM isn't going to publish or report anything Trump is doing that is good.
He might have declared it, but nothing from the US has gotten there yet. On the other hand, Bloomberg has feet on the ground with planes full of supplies. How many days does it take our government to get supplies over there? Trump declared it on Sept 6, this is now the 17th and still no supplies from the government. 11 days have passed. How would you feel if this was going on, on the mainland?
U.S. military launches relief efforts in the Caribbean in wake of Hurricane Irma's destruction
September 7, 2017
The U.S. response has included five warships, helicopters, cargo aircraft, National Guard troops and thousands of pounds of supplies. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains a modest base in Puerto Rico and has auxiliary contingents in St. Thomas and St. Croix. It is unclear how many resources the Coast Guard can commit to the Caribbean as their helicopters and boats will probably be urgently needed in Florida next week.
The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday and had committed its contingent of helicopters to help move patients from St. Thomas to St. Croix and survey damage in the islands, the Pentagon said in a statement Thursday night. A C-17 cargo jet is also evacuating patients from St. Thomas.
The Pentagon also said parts of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the USS Kearsarge and the USS Oak Hill, were headed to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and would arrive sometime Friday. Both ships were previously helping with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. The Marine unit's landing craft, helicopters and personnel will be primarily dedicated to helping those ashore.
Let me clarify something Perrie. I've noticed lately that some of our members are putting comments up as articles. I'm good with that if that is the case. It really doesn't matter to me, but when someone makes an article out of a comment that is indicating they are using some source to justify what the article says, then shouldn't they at least put a link in the article to back up what they are stating as fact?
I agree Sandy. We tend to forget that we are responsible for our islands. Out of sight, out of mind. People will just pick a new island to vacation on.
Then again when you read the NYT, Washington Post or watch CNN, NBC, ABC and all the other MSM you'll be misled into thinking the worst of someone who is doing something right, not playing golf for two weeks while the flood rampaged Louisiana.
I guess playing golf with NBA start Chris Paul was a little more important. Be thankful you have someone who is doing everything you wished for in a President in spite of all the undeserved criticism from the MSM and other leftist sources.
Six what are you talking about. This has hardly been covered in the MSM. The Islands have no medical supplies, no food, no housing.... if Bloomberg wasn't there, they would still have nothing. Can you show me where you can find me a source that shows that supplies from the US is there already?
I know how easy it is to get in a uproar when you think you've found a crack you can open up and show the world how bad things are being handled, but it appears with my link above from the Chicago Tribune wherever you read or saw this information you've posted, it just isn't so.
I compliment Trump for being so involved in these disasters and not just hanging out on the golf course playing golf with celebrities instead. Don't you think he has been doing a great job?
Nothing has arrived yet. I can't find a single article that has said our aid has arrived. Even your article didn't say it had arrived yet. On the other hand I did find this:
Amazing how the Brits beat us to it from over 3,000 miles away.
I am not going to politicize this. All I am saying is that we are lame. Trump might have signed the order 11 days ago, but Bloomberg and Britain got there first. That's a sad commentary on us and the speed of our response time.
Oh yes I did Perrie. You can't just look at one side of the subject because that is what you want to see. Take a look at the videos I've put up and the writing below them and the dates.
I know how important it is to find fault with someone you hate and it has been so hard to do as of late, but the videos were taken on location and that is fact.
I know how important it is to find fault with someone you hate and it has been so hard to do as of late, but the videos were taken on location and that is f
Whoa there. Please find anywhere where I have expressed that I hate Trump. In fact, I have said nada about the man. Stop putting words into my mouth. I expect better from you.
I guess you have never been in a situation i.e.hurricane and had to wait. Well, I have. And, we wait and wait 'cause there ain't no safe place to get in.
That is quite a cynical remark. You have no idea of what Bloomberg has spent his money on. He just finished building a new campus for Technology here in NY that cost billions. The man cares. Do you?
There are more, but I don't want to clutter it up with more of them.
What Bloomberg is doing is very good in my opinion, but the government is really in a strain right now with all the devastation we've experienced in such a short period of time. There's a video about Key West as well. I applaud the way this destruction to the lives of the people is being handled by the most unpopular President in the history of this country. Sure puts the last two to shame.
I recommend people look up " anaemia " now before any one SCREMS derail.
How can any one " Donate " when they are anaemic? The Hurricanes as I said only a short time ago to a NT member are worse then NK, one is actively " Draining Life Blood " the other is a Potential.
Now as I also said, we have/know the " Solution " but we lack the " Guts " that is the Political and Comprehension level of the " Public " to implement a solution.
Now. if I recall right Islanders said that the French was the Best and the Brits, were lagging behind the US of A, make what you will from that!
LOL wow NO it is up the SEDDER to get the Facts, those commenting, have a right to request FACTS,, so do not " pass the Buck " go with " The Buck Stops Here "!
Nations rush to help islands devastated by Hurricane Irma
A man walks by the waterfront as Hurricane Irma approaches Samana, Dominican Republic, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. (Tatiana Fernandez/The Associated Press)
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — French, British and Dutch rescuers struggled to rush aid to a string of Caribbean islands Thursday after Hurricane Irma left at least six dead and thousands homeless as it traced a course that could lead to a catastrophic strike on Florida over the weekend.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said he would go to the islands as soon as the weather permits it. Saying he was “grief-stricken,” Macron called for concerted efforts to tackle global warming to prevent similar natural disasters.
A Dutch navy ship arrived in St. Martin and was attempting to moor in the harbor and unload vital supplies. Another navy vessel was assessing damage with an onboard helicopter.
Two Dutch military aircraft were being sent the island of Curacao and on to St. Martin to deliver food and water intended to last the population of 40,000 five days. The aircraft were carrying 100 extra troops to deliver aid, repair infrastructure and restore order.
Britain was sending hundreds of troops and the Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean to Anguilla, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands. "
Debris and wreckage litter the streets of La Baie residential, after the passing of Hurricane Irma, in Saint Martin, on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean, leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees. Significant damage was reported on the island that is split between French and Dutch control. (AP Photo/Amandine Ascensio)
MARIGOT, St. Martin (AP) — In the chaotic days after Hurricane Irma smashed St. Martin, the storm also exposed simmering racial tensions on the island's French territory, with some black and mixed-race residents complaining that white tourists were given priority during the evacuation.
It was the type of anger that has long plagued France's far-flung former colonies — especially its Caribbean territories, where most of the population identifies as black and is poorer than the white minority.
Johana Soudiagom was disturbed to find herself among a tiny handful of non-whites evacuated by boat to nearby Guadeloupe after Irma devastated the island.
"It's selective. Excuse me, but we saw only mainlanders," she told Guadeloupe 1ere television, visibly shaken. "That's a way of saying, 'I'm sorry, only whites. There are only whites on the boat.'"
It's common practice for tourists to be evacuated first from disaster zones for practical reasons, as they are staying in hotels and not in their homes and tend to have fewer resources such as food and vehicles. The French prime minister insisted Monday that the only people being prioritized were the most vulnerable.
Government spokesman Christophe Castaner said he understood islanders' frustration with the government response but blamed part of the controversy on their "emotional shock, an impact that's extremely hard psychologically."
Soudiagom and other witnesses told Guadeloupe 1ere that the boat they took Friday carried tourists, including Americans, to safety but left many St. Martin residents behind, including needy mothers and children.
The terror of facing down a Category 5 hurricane has combined with a long-held sense of isolation among local residents of St. Martin, some 6,700 kilometers (4,200 miles) from the French mainland and popular with European tourists.
"The natural catastrophe occurred in a place that's very vulnerable socially, where there is a population of many different skin colors and a history of slavery," said Michel Giraud, a French researcher who writes on race. "Of course there will be a perception of racism."
The island of St. Martin — divided in the 17th century into the French territory of Saint-Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten — measures just 87 square kilometers (34 square miles). Its 80,000 residents are a vibrant ethnic mix descended mainly from Africa, Europe and Asia. The two sides of the island share a creole language that draws heavily on English vocabulary.
The French part of St. Martin is similar to other French holdings in the Caribbean in that its white minority is generally wealthier than its black majority. Because France bans the collection of data on race, there are no statistics to show how much wealthier.
It began as a colony whose economy was fueled by African slaves. But after slavery was abolished in 1848, Tin said, "there were no reparations for the slaves, only for the slave owners," so the former slaves won freedom but remained destitute. "The economy is now based on tourism but it is still poor. The wages are significantly lower than the mainland France."
The government is not the only one being accused of racial bias in the wake of the storm. Giraud said French television reports on the devastation focused disproportionately on white people.
"When I saw the pictures, I was shocked," Giraud said. "In the coverage I saw, the victims were mostly white tourists, or white French mainlanders. But the poorest are always the first victims." "
St. John, once dubbed the jewel of the Caribbean, was left looking like a devastated wasteland after Hurricane Irma ripped through it. The storm also destroy 90 percent of St. Martin and left the once glamorous and exclusive resort town of St. Barts a tattered mess.
But the survivors left behind on the Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma say they will rebuild and the islands will be stronger than ever. But first, they say, they need help – and fast.
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Juan Antonio Higuey shows his destroyed home at Cold Bay community after the passage of Hurricane Irma, in St. Martin. (AP)
Islanders across the northern Caribbean are in desperate need of food, water, power and other basic necessities on the road back to normalcy. Thousands remain without power and communication with those off the islands are shoddy, at best.
“It’s been a mess,” Bryan Barnes, chief of the St. John Rescue on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John, told Fox News on Thursday. “There wasn’t a house that wasn’t impacted.”
Irma bullied through much of the Caribbean — Antigua, St. Martin, St. Barts, Anguilla, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas. It narrowly skirted Puerto Rico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. It turned lush tropical playgrounds into blasted-out landscapes, littered with splintered lumber, crumpled sheet metal, and shattered lives.
“We cannot let Irma’s victims in the Caribbean be forgotten. The real work is just beginning.”
- Spokesperson for Sonesta Resorts in Sint Maarten
In St. Martin – which is divided into the French Saint-Martin and the Dutch Sint Maarten – the Dutch Red Cross said more than 90 percent of buildings were damaged and a third were destroyed by Irma’s fierce winds and powerful storm surge. Fifteen people on the tiny island were killed.
“The island has been leveled by the hurricane,” Kaitlyn Lahm, a spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian international relief organization based in North Carolina, told Fox News on Thursday. “There is a huge need.”
“It’s been a mess,” Bryan Barnes, chief of the St. John Rescue on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John, told Fox News on Thursday. “There wasn’t a house that wasn’t impacted.”
Irma bullied through much of the Caribbean — Antigua, St. Martin, St. Barts, Anguilla, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas. It narrowly skirted Puerto Rico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. It turned lush tropical playgrounds into blasted-out landscapes, littered with splintered lumber, crumpled sheet metal, and shattered lives.
“We cannot let Irma’s victims in the Caribbean be forgotten. The real work is just beginning.”
- Spokesperson for Sonesta Resorts in Sint Maarten
In St. Martin – which is divided into the French Saint-Martin and the Dutch Sint Maarten – the Dutch Red Cross said more than 90 percent of buildings were damaged and a third were destroyed by Irma’s fierce winds and powerful storm surge. Fifteen people on the tiny island were killed.
“The island has been leveled by the hurricane,” Kaitlyn Lahm, a spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian international relief organization based in North Carolina, told Fox News on Thursday. “There is a huge need.”
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After Hurricane Irma’s destructive path across the Caribbean, Samaritan’s Purse sends its DC-8 aircraft to St. Maarten, with 20 tons of supplies including hygiene items, blankets and rolls of heavy-duty plastic sheeting for emergency shelter. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse )
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the damage was particularly widespread on St. John, an island of stunning natural beauty that is mostly a national park surrounded by coral reefs.
"You could see there was not much left," Larry Brown, a part-time resident, said as he waited in Puerto Rico for a flight back to his southwestern Florida home to see what damages awaited him there. "It was just horrible."
Some relief has come at the hands of the U.S. and European governments, which deployed military and emergency personnel in the days following the unprecedented Category 5 storm.
To the U.S. Virgin Islands, FEMA said Thursday that nearly 578,000 meals, 383,000 liters of water, 13,600 sheeting covers, 150 rolls of blue tarps and 30 generators were sent to the Caribbean island. President Trump is expected to visit the islands next week to assess the damage. "
From left, Alexandra Alvarez, Sherry Conklin and Kristie Olmeda packed water to bring to St. Thomas. Credit Erika P. Rodriguez for The New York Times
FAJARDO, P.R. — Puerto Rico, dealt only a glancing blow by Hurricane Irma, has become an impromptu emergency hub for its Caribbean neighbors that were left devastated by the storm’s wrath.
Puerto Ricans relieved at being spared the worst destruction donated water, clothing, first aid and other supplies, and dozens of recreational boaters sailed to nearby islands to deliver the assistance and evacuate now-homeless islanders on the return trip.
A 54-foot dive boat named the Tobias cast off on Sunday morning from the marina here, the largest in the Caribbean, and made its way eastward under a searing sun to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, the fourth vessel of the day to make the trip. It would return later crowded to capacity with 46 St. Thomas residents escaping the near-total devastation of the island.
“We were very blessed here, and we have to do everything we can to help,” said Cristina Morales, the owner of the Tobias.
Government-led missions have also been evacuating people from the islands to Puerto Rico. Some 1,200 mostly American citizens, have been carried from Saint Martin and Saint Thomas in six C130 aircraft, and more than 50 patients have been airlifted to Puerto Rican hospitals, officials said.
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Volunteers organize donations for residents affected by Hurricane Irma in Fajardo, P.R., on Sunday. Credit Erika P. Rodriguez for The New York Times
The civilian sealift, by contrast, has been largely a spontaneous, volunteer affair. And it has grown out of the longtime affinities and links among recreational boaters in Puerto Rico and the islands to the east.
Puerto Ricans often cruise to the American or British Virgin Islands, known interchangeably here as “las islas,” to enjoy their crystalline beaches or for fishing competitions. One week-long event held in July in the British islands attracts such a large contingent of visiting boats that locals joke about hosting the Puerto Rican Navy.
“We’ve enjoyed the beauty and the fun of those islands,” said Martita Rivera, who has vacationed in the islands for 25 years. “We only saw the need to say, ‘We’re here for you.’ ”
Ms. Rivera and her husband, Roger Casellas, run one of the pop-up donation centers from Mr. Casella’s boat dealership in Hato Rey. They have received everything from diapers and shirts to nails and hammers.
Responding to a call to arms on social media, she said, hundreds of volunteers have helped to pack four shipping containers full of supplies that will be delvered to the islands this week.
The storm, which struck the islands first, swiftly knocked out power and phone service, leaving their residents disconnected from the outside world. As displaced islanders began to trickle in to Puerto Rico in the storm’s wake, so did their stories of the wreckage they had fled.
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Private citizens in Puerto Rico have organized to bring aid to neighboring islands. Credit Erika P. Rodriguez for The New York Times
“I don’t think people knew how bad it was going to be until it was too late,” said Julie Reynolds, who was rescued on Friday from Tortola, the largest island of the British Virgin Islands.
“It looked like a forest fire hit it,” Ms. Reynolds, 38, said of Tortola. “There were no leaves on the trees. It used to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.”
Her husband, Yann Leboyer, who runs a boat-charter company, tried to secure his 74 vessels with anchors and fenders, to no avail. He said his motorboats were half-sunk and his sailboats piled over his tipped-over catamarans. Only two of the boats were left relatively unscathed.
“Nine years of work gone in 10 hours,” Mr. Leboyer said, holding back tears. “I’m in shock. I’m not fully processing everything.”
Tortola became inhospitable after the storm, he said, without electrical power or communications. After desperate residents ransacked grocery stores, Mr. Leboyer said, the British military started patrolling in armored vehicles, and a curfew was imposed.
Luis Duprey, a business associate of Mr. Leboyer in Puerto Rico, cruised to his friend’s rescue on Friday on a borrowed 33-foot motorboat called the All In. Mr. Duprey, 40, said he cried when he saw what was left of the island: “It looks like a bomb went off,”
Along with Mr. Leboyer’s family, Mr. Duprey carried nine other stranded Tortolans to safety in Puerto Rico on the All In. Some who are not American citizens, including Mr. Leboyer, who is French, are being allowed to stay in the American territory for 30 days by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for humanitarian reasons.
26th MEU begins hurricane relief efforts at St. Thomas. HD Video by Cpl. Adam Edwards | 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit | 09.10.2017 -- U.S. Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived on St. Thomas, U.S., Virgin Islands, to coordinate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in the hurricane relief efforts at St. Thomas Cyril E. King Airport, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sept. 10, 2017. The 26th MEU is supporting authorities in the U.S. Virgin Islands with the combined goal of protecting the lives and safety of those in affected areas. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Adam D. Edwards.)
CARIBBEAN SEA (Sept. 11, 2017) U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) bring equipment and supplies to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Kearsarge and The 26th MEU are assisting with relief efforts in The aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The Department of Defense is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency, The lead federal agency, in helping those affected by Hurricane lrma To minimize suffering and is one component of The overall whole-of-government response effort. (US. Navy Video by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob Goff/Released) 170911-N-AY374-001
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (Sept. 8 and 9, 2017) Multiple air operations conducted on St. Croix and St. Thomas islands using U.S. Navy helicopters. During the missions, food, water and emergency supplies were delivered and patients were evacuated. These missions were conducted by the Department of Defense at the request of Federal Emergency Management Agency and local government officials to aid in the recovery following the impact of Hurricane Irma on the Virgin Islands. (U.S. Air Force video by Capt. Lauren Hill/Released)
That's just a sample of the things the USA has been doing. From the other comments I see are up now, it appears they should have the supply requirements being taken care of, but I'm sure these countries have communicated with each other and not just have everyone bringing supplies. Rescuing people in distress is also needed situations like this as well and it appears that has been the main course of action the USA has been afforded in this disaster. A friend told me over a week ago one of their friends caught a military flight back to the states over a week ago.
I am happy to say we have not been slow in doing what we can for the Virgin Islands, but you always want to remember to never let a crisis go to waste when you can benefit politically and use it to put a bad light on your opponent. Reminds me of the photo opts I've become accustomed to for the last 8 years, being promoted by the MSM.
All a bunch of hype without any credence at all. LOL
I am personally disgusted that this is hardly a blip being followed by the media and our government is so slow to help our fellow Americans. Why does it have to take Mike Bloomberg to bring this to everyone's attention?
President Donald J. Trump Approves U.S. Virgin Islands Disaster Declaration
Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands and ordered Federal aid to supplement recovery efforts in the territory due to Hurricane Irma beginning on September 6, 2017, and continuing.
The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the islands of St. John and St. Thomas.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Federal funding is available to the territory and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in all of the islands in the territory.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures throughout the territory.
Brock Long, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named William L. Vogel as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
Damage assessments are continuing in other areas, and additional areas may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.
Residents and business owners who have sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362), or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV .
President Donald J. Trump Amends U.S. Virgin Islands Disaster Declaration
Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump made additional disaster assistance available to the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands by authorizing an increase in the level of Federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures undertaken in the U.S. Virgin Islands as a result of Hurricane Irma beginning on September 6, 2017, and continuing.
Under the President’s major disaster declaration issued for the U.S. Virgin Islands on September 7, 2017, Federal funding was made available for Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation, and Other Needs Assistance at 75 percent Federal funding of total eligible costs.
President Trump increased cost sharing to 90 percent Federal funding for debris removal, including direct Federal assistance, and 100 percent Federal funding for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for 30 days from the start of the incident period, and then a 90 percent Federal cost share thereafter.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV .
You should know by now Perrie that the MSM isn't going to publish or report anything Trump is doing that is good.
He might have declared it, but nothing from the US has gotten there yet. On the other hand, Bloomberg has feet on the ground with planes full of supplies. How many days does it take our government to get supplies over there? Trump declared it on Sept 6, this is now the 17th and still no supplies from the government. 11 days have passed. How would you feel if this was going on, on the mainland?
U.S. military launches relief efforts in the Caribbean in wake of Hurricane Irma's destruction
September 7, 2017
The U.S. response has included five warships, helicopters, cargo aircraft, National Guard troops and thousands of pounds of supplies. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains a modest base in Puerto Rico and has auxiliary contingents in St. Thomas and St. Croix. It is unclear how many resources the Coast Guard can commit to the Caribbean as their helicopters and boats will probably be urgently needed in Florida next week.
The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday and had committed its contingent of helicopters to help move patients from St. Thomas to St. Croix and survey damage in the islands, the Pentagon said in a statement Thursday night. A C-17 cargo jet is also evacuating patients from St. Thomas.
The Pentagon also said parts of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the USS Kearsarge and the USS Oak Hill, were headed to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and would arrive sometime Friday. Both ships were previously helping with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. The Marine unit's landing craft, helicopters and personnel will be primarily dedicated to helping those ashore.
I can not find any where in that article saying that relief has gotten there yet, Six. And I have googled all sources and can't find it either.
Let me clarify something Perrie. I've noticed lately that some of our members are putting comments up as articles. I'm good with that if that is the case. It really doesn't matter to me, but when someone makes an article out of a comment that is indicating they are using some source to justify what the article says, then shouldn't they at least put a link in the article to back up what they are stating as fact?
Six,
I have put up links to everyone of my comments so I am not sure how that applies to me.
I think we have a tendency to be a bit shortsighted when it comes to whom we deem to be "our fellow Americans", unfortunately.
I agree Sandy. We tend to forget that we are responsible for our islands. Out of sight, out of mind. People will just pick a new island to vacation on.
Then again when you read the NYT, Washington Post or watch CNN, NBC, ABC and all the other MSM you'll be misled into thinking the worst of someone who is doing something right, not playing golf for two weeks while the flood rampaged Louisiana.
I guess playing golf with NBA start Chris Paul was a little more important. Be thankful you have someone who is doing everything you wished for in a President in spite of all the undeserved criticism from the MSM and other leftist sources.
Six what are you talking about. This has hardly been covered in the MSM. The Islands have no medical supplies, no food, no housing.... if Bloomberg wasn't there, they would still have nothing. Can you show me where you can find me a source that shows that supplies from the US is there already?
I know how easy it is to get in a uproar when you think you've found a crack you can open up and show the world how bad things are being handled, but it appears with my link above from the Chicago Tribune wherever you read or saw this information you've posted, it just isn't so.
I compliment Trump for being so involved in these disasters and not just hanging out on the golf course playing golf with celebrities instead. Don't you think he has been doing a great job?
So do I. Pres. Trump has done a great job in his response.
Six,
Nothing has arrived yet. I can't find a single article that has said our aid has arrived. Even your article didn't say it had arrived yet. On the other hand I did find this:
Amazing how the Brits beat us to it from over 3,000 miles away.
I am not going to politicize this. All I am saying is that we are lame. Trump might have signed the order 11 days ago, but Bloomberg and Britain got there first. That's a sad commentary on us and the speed of our response time.
He signed what he needed to sign, but it's not there yet. Would you like to wait ll days for help?
Let's see the Brits and Bloomberg's ships. I've shown you the USA's.
No you didn't. You showed us in the process of sending.
Here is bloomberg unloading on the island on the 14th.
btw.. this is about why is it so hard for us to get there in a reasonable time frame?
My article showed Brits on the ground already. So did my first video with Bloomberg.
Whoa there. Please find anywhere where I have expressed that I hate Trump. In fact, I have said nada about the man. Stop putting words into my mouth. I expect better from you.
I guess you have never been in a situation i.e.hurricane and had to wait. Well, I have. And, we wait and wait 'cause there ain't no safe place to get in.
Bloomberg is probably trying to pick up some real estate cheap. Now is a good time to buy.
That is quite a cynical remark. You have no idea of what Bloomberg has spent his money on. He just finished building a new campus for Technology here in NY that cost billions. The man cares. Do you?
He has a top floor condo out by me too.
Hey, that is called a vacation home. He earned that, didn't he? You're the entrepreneur free market guy. Well see, Bloomberg is, too.
There are more, but I don't want to clutter it up with more of them.
What Bloomberg is doing is very good in my opinion, but the government is really in a strain right now with all the devastation we've experienced in such a short period of time. There's a video about Key West as well. I applaud the way this destruction to the lives of the people is being handled by the most unpopular President in the history of this country. Sure puts the last two to shame.
How many senators and congressmen does the US Virgin islands have?
That might explain the dawdling response.
Sure, lack of representation is part of the problem.
Senators and congressmen would stay on the status of supply deliveries. They may not have anyone in government pushing it enough.
I recommend people look up " anaemia " now before any one SCREMS derail.
How can any one " Donate " when they are anaemic? The Hurricanes as I said only a short time ago to a NT member are worse then NK, one is actively " Draining Life Blood " the other is a Potential.
Now as I also said, we have/know the " Solution " but we lack the " Guts " that is the Political and Comprehension level of the " Public " to implement a solution.
Now. if I recall right Islanders said that the French was the Best and the Brits, were lagging behind the US of A, make what you will from that!
Now where did you hear this? I haven't heard a word about the islands anywhere until today.
Do a search you know what they says " It is ALL out there "!
No, I don't do the search EA. You do. It is incumbent on the person who is making the claim to provide the facts. I have done so, now it is your turn.
LOL wow NO it is up the SEDDER to get the Facts, those commenting, have a right to request FACTS,, so do not " pass the Buck " go with " The Buck Stops Here "!
You don't have to put a link up anymore EA, evidently. You just state what you have to say and state it as fact.
Yes,, it is up to those " Seeking " to find, what is not " self evident " like what is a Government :-))
But I did present the facts EA. Right in the beginning of the article. I even gave a video.
Nothing is a "fact" unless you can prove it. That is debate 101.
Posted September 7, 2017 08:54 am - Updated September 7, 2017 12:58 pm
By
Nations rush to help islands devastated by Hurricane Irma
A man walks by the waterfront as Hurricane Irma approaches Samana, Dominican Republic, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. (Tatiana Fernandez/The Associated Press)
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — French, British and Dutch rescuers struggled to rush aid to a string of Caribbean islands Thursday after Hurricane Irma left at least six dead and thousands homeless as it traced a course that could lead to a catastrophic strike on Florida over the weekend.
"
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said he would go to the islands as soon as the weather permits it. Saying he was “grief-stricken,” Macron called for concerted efforts to tackle global warming to prevent similar natural disasters.
A Dutch navy ship arrived in St. Martin and was attempting to moor in the harbor and unload vital supplies. Another navy vessel was assessing damage with an onboard helicopter.
Two Dutch military aircraft were being sent the island of Curacao and on to St. Martin to deliver food and water intended to last the population of 40,000 five days. The aircraft were carrying 100 extra troops to deliver aid, repair infrastructure and restore order.
Britain was sending hundreds of troops and the Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean to Anguilla, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands. "
Thank you for proving my fact... which is why is it taking the US so long.
6.1.1.2.2 Perrie Halpern R.A. replied to sixpick @6.1.1.2 9 minutes ago
Nothing is a "fact" unless you can prove it. That is debate 101.
Hurricane Irma exposes racial tensions on smashed St. Martin
MARIGOT, St. Martin (AP) — In the chaotic days after Hurricane Irma smashed St. Martin, the storm also exposed simmering racial tensions on the island's French territory, with some black and mixed-race residents complaining that white tourists were given priority during the evacuation.
It was the type of anger that has long plagued France's far-flung former colonies — especially its Caribbean territories, where most of the population identifies as black and is poorer than the white minority.
Johana Soudiagom was disturbed to find herself among a tiny handful of non-whites evacuated by boat to nearby Guadeloupe after Irma devastated the island.
"It's selective. Excuse me, but we saw only mainlanders," she told Guadeloupe 1ere television, visibly shaken. "That's a way of saying, 'I'm sorry, only whites. There are only whites on the boat.'"
It's common practice for tourists to be evacuated first from disaster zones for practical reasons, as they are staying in hotels and not in their homes and tend to have fewer resources such as food and vehicles. The French prime minister insisted Monday that the only people being prioritized were the most vulnerable.
Government spokesman Christophe Castaner said he understood islanders' frustration with the government response but blamed part of the controversy on their "emotional shock, an impact that's extremely hard psychologically."
Soudiagom and other witnesses told Guadeloupe 1ere that the boat they took Friday carried tourists, including Americans, to safety but left many St. Martin residents behind, including needy mothers and children.
"
The terror of facing down a Category 5 hurricane has combined with a long-held sense of isolation among local residents of St. Martin, some 6,700 kilometers (4,200 miles) from the French mainland and popular with European tourists.
"The natural catastrophe occurred in a place that's very vulnerable socially, where there is a population of many different skin colors and a history of slavery," said Michel Giraud, a French researcher who writes on race. "Of course there will be a perception of racism."
The island of St. Martin — divided in the 17th century into the French territory of Saint-Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten — measures just 87 square kilometers (34 square miles). Its 80,000 residents are a vibrant ethnic mix descended mainly from Africa, Europe and Asia. The two sides of the island share a creole language that draws heavily on English vocabulary.
The French part of St. Martin is similar to other French holdings in the Caribbean in that its white minority is generally wealthier than its black majority. Because France bans the collection of data on race, there are no statistics to show how much wealthier.
It began as a colony whose economy was fueled by African slaves. But after slavery was abolished in 1848, Tin said, "there were no reparations for the slaves, only for the slave owners," so the former slaves won freedom but remained destitute. "The economy is now based on tourism but it is still poor. The wages are significantly lower than the mainland France."
The government is not the only one being accused of racial bias in the wake of the storm. Giraud said French television reports on the devastation focused disproportionately on white people.
"When I saw the pictures, I was shocked," Giraud said. "In the coverage I saw, the victims were mostly white tourists, or white French mainlanders. But the poorest are always the first victims." "
Disaster Response
Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma vow to come back stronger than ever
St. John, once dubbed the jewel of the Caribbean, was left looking like a devastated wasteland after Hurricane Irma ripped through it. The storm also destroy 90 percent of St. Martin and left the once glamorous and exclusive resort town of St. Barts a tattered mess.
But the survivors left behind on the Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma say they will rebuild and the islands will be stronger than ever. But first, they say, they need help – and fast.
Related Image
Juan Antonio Higuey shows his destroyed home at Cold Bay community after the passage of Hurricane Irma, in St. Martin. (AP)
Islanders across the northern Caribbean are in desperate need of food, water, power and other basic necessities on the road back to normalcy. Thousands remain without power and communication with those off the islands are shoddy, at best.
“It’s been a mess,” Bryan Barnes, chief of the St. John Rescue on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John, told Fox News on Thursday. “There wasn’t a house that wasn’t impacted.”
Irma bullied through much of the Caribbean — Antigua, St. Martin, St. Barts, Anguilla, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas. It narrowly skirted Puerto Rico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. It turned lush tropical playgrounds into blasted-out landscapes, littered with splintered lumber, crumpled sheet metal, and shattered lives.
In St. Martin – which is divided into the French Saint-Martin and the Dutch Sint Maarten – the Dutch Red Cross said more than 90 percent of buildings were damaged and a third were destroyed by Irma’s fierce winds and powerful storm surge. Fifteen people on the tiny island were killed.
“The island has been leveled by the hurricane,” Kaitlyn Lahm, a spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian international relief organization based in North Carolina, told Fox News on Thursday. “There is a huge need.”
"
“It’s been a mess,” Bryan Barnes, chief of the St. John Rescue on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John, told Fox News on Thursday. “There wasn’t a house that wasn’t impacted.”
Irma bullied through much of the Caribbean — Antigua, St. Martin, St. Barts, Anguilla, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas. It narrowly skirted Puerto Rico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. It turned lush tropical playgrounds into blasted-out landscapes, littered with splintered lumber, crumpled sheet metal, and shattered lives.
In St. Martin – which is divided into the French Saint-Martin and the Dutch Sint Maarten – the Dutch Red Cross said more than 90 percent of buildings were damaged and a third were destroyed by Irma’s fierce winds and powerful storm surge. Fifteen people on the tiny island were killed.
“The island has been leveled by the hurricane,” Kaitlyn Lahm, a spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian international relief organization based in North Carolina, told Fox News on Thursday. “There is a huge need.”
Related Image
After Hurricane Irma’s destructive path across the Caribbean, Samaritan’s Purse sends its DC-8 aircraft to St. Maarten, with 20 tons of supplies including hygiene items, blankets and rolls of heavy-duty plastic sheeting for emergency shelter. (Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse )
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the damage was particularly widespread on St. John, an island of stunning natural beauty that is mostly a national park surrounded by coral reefs.
"You could see there was not much left," Larry Brown, a part-time resident, said as he waited in Puerto Rico for a flight back to his southwestern Florida home to see what damages awaited him there. "It was just horrible."
Some relief has come at the hands of the U.S. and European governments, which deployed military and emergency personnel in the days following the unprecedented Category 5 storm.
To the U.S. Virgin Islands, FEMA said Thursday that nearly 578,000 meals, 383,000 liters of water, 13,600 sheeting covers, 150 rolls of blue tarps and 30 generators were sent to the Caribbean island. President Trump is expected to visit the islands next week to assess the damage. "
Spared Irma’s Worst, Puerto Ricans Sail to Virgin Islanders’ Aid
By LUIS FERRÉ-SADURNÍ SEPT. 10, 2017
FAJARDO, P.R. — Puerto Rico, dealt only a glancing blow by Hurricane Irma, has become an impromptu emergency hub for its Caribbean neighbors that were left devastated by the storm’s wrath.
Puerto Ricans relieved at being spared the worst destruction donated water, clothing, first aid and other supplies, and dozens of recreational boaters sailed to nearby islands to deliver the assistance and evacuate now-homeless islanders on the return trip.
A 54-foot dive boat named the Tobias cast off on Sunday morning from the marina here, the largest in the Caribbean, and made its way eastward under a searing sun to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, the fourth vessel of the day to make the trip. It would return later crowded to capacity with 46 St. Thomas residents escaping the near-total devastation of the island.
“We were very blessed here, and we have to do everything we can to help,” said Cristina Morales, the owner of the Tobias.
Government-led missions have also been evacuating people from the islands to Puerto Rico. Some 1,200 mostly American citizens, have been carried from Saint Martin and Saint Thomas in six C130 aircraft, and more than 50 patients have been airlifted to Puerto Rican hospitals, officials said.
PhotoThe civilian sealift, by contrast, has been largely a spontaneous, volunteer affair. And it has grown out of the longtime affinities and links among recreational boaters in Puerto Rico and the islands to the east.
Puerto Ricans often cruise to the American or British Virgin Islands, known interchangeably here as “las islas,” to enjoy their crystalline beaches or for fishing competitions. One week-long event held in July in the British islands attracts such a large contingent of visiting boats that locals joke about hosting the Puerto Rican Navy.
“We’ve enjoyed the beauty and the fun of those islands,” said Martita Rivera, who has vacationed in the islands for 25 years. “We only saw the need to say, ‘We’re here for you.’ ”
Ms. Rivera and her husband, Roger Casellas, run one of the pop-up donation centers from Mr. Casella’s boat dealership in Hato Rey. They have received everything from diapers and shirts to nails and hammers.
Responding to a call to arms on social media, she said, hundreds of volunteers have helped to pack four shipping containers full of supplies that will be delvered to the islands this week.
The storm, which struck the islands first, swiftly knocked out power and phone service, leaving their residents disconnected from the outside world. As displaced islanders began to trickle in to Puerto Rico in the storm’s wake, so did their stories of the wreckage they had fled.
Photo“I don’t think people knew how bad it was going to be until it was too late,” said Julie Reynolds, who was rescued on Friday from Tortola, the largest island of the British Virgin Islands.
“It looked like a forest fire hit it,” Ms. Reynolds, 38, said of Tortola. “There were no leaves on the trees. It used to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.”
Her husband, Yann Leboyer, who runs a boat-charter company, tried to secure his 74 vessels with anchors and fenders, to no avail. He said his motorboats were half-sunk and his sailboats piled over his tipped-over catamarans. Only two of the boats were left relatively unscathed.
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“Nine years of work gone in 10 hours,” Mr. Leboyer said, holding back tears. “I’m in shock. I’m not fully processing everything.”
Tortola became inhospitable after the storm, he said, without electrical power or communications. After desperate residents ransacked grocery stores, Mr. Leboyer said, the British military started patrolling in armored vehicles, and a curfew was imposed.
Luis Duprey, a business associate of Mr. Leboyer in Puerto Rico, cruised to his friend’s rescue on Friday on a borrowed 33-foot motorboat called the All In. Mr. Duprey, 40, said he cried when he saw what was left of the island: “It looks like a bomb went off,”
Along with Mr. Leboyer’s family, Mr. Duprey carried nine other stranded Tortolans to safety in Puerto Rico on the All In. Some who are not American citizens, including Mr. Leboyer, who is French, are being allowed to stay in the American territory for 30 days by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for humanitarian reasons.
26th MEU begins hurricane relief efforts at St. Thomas. HD Video by Cpl. Adam Edwards | 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit | 09.10.2017 -- U.S. Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived on St. Thomas, U.S., Virgin Islands, to coordinate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in the hurricane relief efforts at St. Thomas Cyril E. King Airport, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sept. 10, 2017. The 26th MEU is supporting authorities in the U.S. Virgin Islands with the combined goal of protecting the lives and safety of those in affected areas. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Adam D. Edwards.)
CARIBBEAN SEA (Sept. 11, 2017) U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) bring equipment and supplies to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Kearsarge and The 26th MEU are assisting with relief efforts in The aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The Department of Defense is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency, The lead federal agency, in helping those affected by Hurricane lrma To minimize suffering and is one component of The overall whole-of-government response effort. (US. Navy Video by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jacob Goff/Released) 170911-N-AY374-001
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (Sept. 8 and 9, 2017) Multiple air operations conducted on St. Croix and St. Thomas islands using U.S. Navy helicopters. During the missions, food, water and emergency supplies were delivered and patients were evacuated. These missions were conducted by the Department of Defense at the request of Federal Emergency Management Agency and local government officials to aid in the recovery following the impact of Hurricane Irma on the Virgin Islands. (U.S. Air Force video by Capt. Lauren Hill/Released)
That's just a sample of the things the USA has been doing. From the other comments I see are up now, it appears they should have the supply requirements being taken care of, but I'm sure these countries have communicated with each other and not just have everyone bringing supplies. Rescuing people in distress is also needed situations like this as well and it appears that has been the main course of action the USA has been afforded in this disaster. A friend told me over a week ago one of their friends caught a military flight back to the states over a week ago.
I am happy to say we have not been slow in doing what we can for the Virgin Islands, but you always want to remember to never let a crisis go to waste when you can benefit politically and use it to put a bad light on your opponent. Reminds me of the photo opts I've become accustomed to for the last 8 years, being promoted by the MSM.
All a bunch of hype without any credence at all. LOL
Thank you and EA for all of this info.
You are Welcome, Facts Trump Innuendo, any time :-)