President Donald Trump is set to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands “within the next six or seven days,” Governor Kenneth Mapp said during a press conference at Government House in St. Thomas late Monday. Gov. Mapp said that President Trump gave his full support for the U.S. Virgin Islands in providing disaster relief, following Hurricane Irma.
Mr. Trump wants “to see firsthand the damages of the territory, and to get on-ground reports of the federal operation, to ensure that the people of the Virgin Islands are receiving recovery as fast as humanly possible, and that the assets of the federal government were being appropriately deployed,” the governor said. Mr. Trump said he loves the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mr. Mapp added.
The advent of the president of the United States to the U.S. Virgin Islands to survey storm damage and assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (F.E.MA.) response, is a big deal. The visit’s potential benefits are many — from recognition on a global level, to the president’s stamp of approval that the U.S. Virgin Islands are as important as the mainland states, relative to federal relief, among other positive effects.
“The president wanted me to let the people of the Virgin Islands know that as he speaks of Hurricane victims going forward, that he definitely will be including the U.S. Virgin Islands in his list of places that the federal government will be taking care of,” Mr. Mapp said.
Gov. Mapp also said that additional police and soldiers were being deployed to St. John following reports of looting and violence. More police will also be brought in from outside the territory to aid V.I.P.D. with policing on St. Thomas and St. John.
Six hundred Marines are now in the territory, 80 of whom will be deployed to St. John tomorrow. The Marines, along with security and other relief effort involvement, will aid in the removal of debris.
The governor warned residents against using their boats to ferry Tortola residents to the USVI. He cautioned that such actions could land perpetrators into serious trouble with the Department of Homeland Security.
Mr. Mapp revealed that the prison in the BVI was breached, and said that the government there was working to contain the situation.
“So you may be picking up someone and don’t know that you’re picking up someone that may have gotten out of the penal system,” he said. “But it is not legal for you to take a private craft, pick folks up in the British Virgin Islands and attempt to bring them to the USVI.” Gov. Mapp, U.S. Virgin Islands
WAPA advised that 80 percent of Savan will be energized tonight. Garden Street will have power, the Knud Hansen shelter will have power, as well as a portion of Hospital Ground, according to the governor.
SOURCE: V.I. Consortium
