Governor Kenneth Mapp announced at his daily Hurricane Irma press briefing on Tuesday something that many have been calling for: an official portal through which donations for Hurricane Irma relief can be accepted.
The government teamed up with the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, a longstanding nonprofit organization, which will manage the funds. To donate, simply go here.
There have been multiple GoFundMe pages popping up claiming to be legitimate. However, Mr. Mapp warned that while the authors of the GoFundMe accounts could well be sincere, there’s really no way of determining whether funds collected would go towards the intended purpose. In light of this, the governor has urged that all funds for the relief effort be donated through the above link.
Mr. Mapp told The Consortium on Monday that the account created to accept the donations would come with a high level of transparency, with everyone being able to see how much has been donated and how the funds are being spent.
“We really want to manage the recovery in a transparent way, and really give people access to the information, get benefits to the folks that need it, and make sure the folks that are giving it, that they see it and know that the persons it is intended for are in fact the benefactors,” Mr. Mapp said.
Below, find the other updates from Mr. Mapp’s Tuesday press briefing:
A lineman for the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority was fatally electrocuted late Tuesday while working to restore power at a major shopping center in St. Thomas. It was the fifth confirmed fatality since Hurricane Irma struck on September 6.
The governor announced that four gas stations on St. Thomas would be allowed to operate from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., two hours into the curfew. They will serve only first responders. The stations are: Gottlieb’s Quickway, Rodriguez Auto Parts, Racetrack Gas Station, and PG Gas Station on downtown waterfront.
Federal Assistance for Residents
- FEMA again provided contact information for persons wishing to apply for individual assistance. Telephone number 1-800-621-3362 and online www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
- The governor is directing that individual assistance application information be distributed and posted throughout the community.
- V.I. Department of Labor is preparing information about dislocation benefits for private sector employees.
- Mr. Mapp announced that an effort is underway to secure a special community disaster loan from the federal government, which could amount to up to 25 percent of revenues collected last year. Congress must approve.
- Individuals were urged to discuss with their banks any new terms desired for mortgage, auto and other loan payments following the hurricane disaster.
- Mr. Mapp is seeking a supply of transistor radios for residents of St. John unable to stay informed otherwise. He thanked local radio stations for boosting signal power to aid reception.
- The territory’s leader reiterated that there was no rioting or unusual level of violence on St. John, despite social media claims.
Tags: donations, hurricane irma
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