We're making exceptional strides to keep you safe this hurricane season. Take a peek at the hurricane preparedness video presented by President Joe Biden Jr.
Hurricane Survival Toolbox: Commissioner’s Corner
Are you a Commissioner or in a position of authority where you can help your Department/Agency prepare for the peak of hurricane season or help your department recover after a hurricane? If you answered yes, then this Hurricane Survival Toolbox Kit is made especially for you! See what you can do to help your department/agency prepare for hurricane season. The more prepared you are, the lower the downtime and the faster you can act on response and recovery operations. Don’t be caught off guard! Be prepared!
VIDOSH Hurricane Survival Toolbox Kit is a 3-part series that provides the tools and guidance needed to prepare your Department/Agency for a hurricane and guide your department through the general safety hazards that occur during hurricane response and recovery operations in the event of a devastating storm.
Hurricane Survival Part 1: Are You Ready?
Hurricane Survival Part 2: Preparation Tools
Hurricane Survival Part 3: General Hazards Toolbox
Sandbag Safety
Reflection on the 6th Anniversary of Hurricanes Irma and Maria:
This year marks the 6th Anniversary of Hurricanes Irma and Maria’s landfall in the U.S. Virgin Islands. With the double wrath of back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes, both hurricanes caused major catastrophic destruction in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma tore through the British and U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, causing catastrophic destruction in the USVI and Puerto Rico. The strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever measured, the Category 5 storm brought 185 mph+ winds that wreaked havoc and devastation. Irma took down power grids and communications in Culebra, St. Thomas, St. John, and portions of eastern Puerto Rico, impacting over 1 million people.
Twelve days later, September 19-20, 2017, Hurricane Maria – another intense Category 5 hurricane – brought cataclysmic devastation to St. Croix and Puerto Rico. Maria damaged or destroyed 70% of the buildings on St. Croix, including schools and the island’s only hospital. The remaining power grid and communications networks in the USVI went down.
Both territories remained under 24-hour curfew for weeks after the storms. The severely damaged power grids would take approximately four months to restore in the USVI. To date, recovery is still ongoing as “blue roofs” or tarpaulins can still be seen on some houses and buildings.