British Virgin Islands

by Sebastien Malo | @SebastienMalo | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Tuesday, 31 July 2018 12:00 GMT

Burdened by costly fuel imports and a power grid destroyed by Hurricane Irma, the island territory is aiming to produce more electricity from renewables

ROAD TOWN, July 31 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Nearly a year after Hurricane Irma knocked out power across the British Virgin Islands, electricity boss Leroy Abraham will be among the last residents to have their homes reconnected.

Thursday, July 26 – A new Disaster Emergency Notification App developed exclusively for the British Virgin Islands was launched earlier today June 27.

The app which is called the “BVI DDM Alert” was officially launched by the Department of Disaster Management (DDM) in collaboration with Digicel at the telecommunications company’s Offices with a number of key persons present to commemorate the significance of the event.

The British Virgin Islands sustained widespread damage as a result of hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The Adina Donovan Home for the Elderly and the Virgin Gorda Elderly Home—buildings that house the most vulnerable seniors and older persons in their communities—were badly damaged by the storms. With financial help from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Pan American Health Organization undertook restoration works which have now been completed.

Introduction

This document provides a case study of the efforts to build back better and smarter at the Adina Donovan Elderly Home in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

SYNOPSIS OF TROPICAL STORM BERYL

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, as of 2:00 PM (AST) on July 08, 2018, Beryl continues to move WNW towards the Lesser Antilles with no change in strength. Beryl or its remnants is forecast to approach the Lesser Antilles this evening, Sunday July 08, and cross the island chain tonight.

MESSAGE: Hurricane Beryl forms over the far Eastern Atlantic and progresses west towards the Caribbean.

THE SITUATION:

The government has today (Wednesday 4 July) announced new measures to make sure British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean have the support they need in the event of a repeat of the devastating hurricanes which hit the region last year.

Government departments have been putting plans in place to bring together humanitarian, military support and diplomatic work under a joint unit coordinated by the Foreign Office.

These include:

SYNOPSIS OF TROPICAL STORM BERYL:

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, as of 11:00 AM (AST) on July 07, 2018, Beryl, the second (2nd) named storm of the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season, was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. As of 8:00 PM the center of Beryl, was located at 12.9N and 53.5W about 550 miles (885km) ESE of the Lesser Antilles with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 1003 mb. The present movement of Beryl is West-North-West or 295o at 17 mph (28 km/h).

Por Brigitte Leoni

CARTAGENA, 26 de junio de 2018 – Aunque pueden ser muy poco frecuentes en las Américas, los tsunamis sí ocurren, ya que la región es altamente propensa a los sismos. En los últimos 500 años, unos 12 terremotos de al menos 7,0 grados de magnitud se han producido en el Caribe, cerca de Puerto Rico, las Islas Vírgenes y La Española, los cuales han generado más de 75 tsunamis.

By Brigitte Leoni

CARTAGENA, 26 June 2018 – Tsunamis may be rare in the Americas but they do happen as the region is highly seismic prone. A dozen earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater have occurred in the Caribbean near Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Hispaniola in the past 500 years generating more than 75 tsunamis.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Natural Resources and Labour, Dr. the Honourable Kedrick Pickering and United Kingdom Overseas Territories Minister, Lord Ahmad held a bilateral meeting on 12 June in which they discussed preparations for the 2018 hurricane season, recovery of the British Virgin Islands and public registers of beneficial ownership.

The Deputy Premier confirmed that the Territory will be ready for the peak of the hurricane season as work on shelters and other areas proceed.

Bridgetown, Barbados, May 31st, 2018 (CDEMA) – In the Aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which significantly impacted the islands of the Caribbean in September 2017, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) launched the “CDEMA Legacy Project”. The aim of this project is to support the recovery and reconstruction efforts in Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Turks & Caicos Islands, which were severely impacted.

Wednesday, May 30 – The impact of the 2017 hurricane season on member states of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) was reviewed at a two day After Action Review (AAR) meeting on May 28 and 29.

During this meeting, health representatives from the impacted countries of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands and the BVI also developed a plan for improving health response in the Caribbean region.

Planning and Preparedness Manager of the Department of Disaster Management Ms. Sheniah Armstrong accepted a donation of communications equipment to strengthen the emergency telecommunications system in the Territory.

The equipment was provided by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, (CDEMA) and handed over by their representative Ms. Andrea Grosvernor. The donation consisted of an extreme satellite phone, a satellite internet terminal, and two solar panels.

The BVI Ports Authority (BVIPA) is advising patrons and the public that the Road Town Jetty will resume full operations on Sunday, May 13.

Immediately following the passage of Hurricane Irma in September 2017, with the assistance of divers and speciality contractors, surveys were completed on all of the Territory’s port facilities. The Road Town Jetty was deemed unusable for international travel upon inspection and services have since temporarily continued from the Tortola Pier Park Tender Dock for travel to and from the United States Virgin Islands.

The Government of the Virgin Islands signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the National Bank of the Virgin Islands (NBVI) today as efforts heighten to assist property owners in the rebuilding of their properties.

The agreement facilitates funds being deposited with the bank and the disbursement to beneficiaries approved by the Ministry of Health and Social Development who leads the Housing Assistance Programme.

Road Town, Virgin Islands – 12 April 2018 – The UN Development Programme (UNDP) will support the Government of the British Virgin Islands with the implementation of US$65million Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), following an agreement signed here today.