The Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) has joined the U.S. federal and territorial mission, providing valuable support to the U.S. Virgin Islands’ recovery efforts from hurricanes Irma and Maria.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a dozen members of DEMA’s Technical Early Recovery Team have begun emergency repairs of a nursing home in St. Thomas and an educational facility in St. Croix.
DEMA is helping to restore two wings of the Sea View Nursing Home in St. Thomas well as the cafeteria.
Lumber, plastic sheeting, roofing supplies and other building materials were purchased locally. DEMA technicians also helped start the facility’s generator to get electricity and water service back on.
At the St. Croix Educational Complex, DEMA personnel tidied up, removing damaged ceiling tiles, and major hazards and obstacles in classrooms, vocational workshops and the administrative building. They also repaired parts of the roof. Local cleaning and sanitation crews will be hired for a more detailed cleaning to make more classrooms ready for students.
During a recent press briefing, Governor Kenneth Mapp expressed his appreciation to the Denmark government for providing the aid, noting the storied history shared between the USVI and its former Danish owner. During the territory’s 100th-year celebration under U.S. rule, which was held in March, Denmark’s prime minister, Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, pledged his government’s support to the territory — especially its youth — with the first notable effort being a five-year scholarship program being funded through the Danish Finance Act of 2018. The program commits just over $140,000 annually for 10 students to study for one semester at participating Danish universities, and funds the students’ tuition and living costs.
Tags: denmark, hurricane, us virgin islands
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