2017 Hurricane Relief Effort: U.S. Virgin Islands
DID YOU KNOW?
Hurricane Irma made landfall in St. Thomas and St. John on Sept. 6, 2017.
Hurricane Maria made landfall in St. Croix on Sept. 19, 2017.
Arriving in St. Croix, Sabrina Silverstein of the SEC’s Denver Regional Office found it “completely devastated," and she joined other volunteers in relief efforts. “The government is often criticized for neglecting people in need or for not doing enough or for not doing it quickly enough, and I wanted to help be the face of a government that cares,” she says. She adds that she's proud to work for an agency “that so sincerely put another agency’s needs ahead of its own for a greater good.”
“St. Croix has a big task of rebuilding, but if I have learned anything from my time here so far, it is that the people on this island are up to the task. "
– Erin Stattel, Office of Public Affairs | Deployed to St. Croix
“I was inspired by the resiliency and perseverance of the survivors, and proud of the work of those who came to support the island."
– Adam Storch, Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations | Deployed to St. Thomas and St. John
“I was stunned by the level of destruction. Houses, roads, power poles, fences, stoplights – everything was damaged, knocked down, debris everywhere. "
– Jon Warner, Denver Regional Office | Deployed to St. Thomas and St. Croix
“I'm part of a large team that registers hurricane survivors for FEMA assistance… We are working long days, 7 days a week, to get as many people signed up as quickly as possible.”
– Catherine Whiting, Division of Trading and Markets | Deployed to St. Croix
Modified: June 4, 2018