Government Employees To Report To Work On Black Friday; DSNAP Rollout Problems Continue

Acting Governor Osbert Potter held his second hurricane recovery press conference in Governor Kenneth Mapp’s absence, this time at Government House on St. Croix. Keeping with Mr. Mapp’s style, Mr. Potter invited department and agency heads, along with FEMA to provide updates on the administration’s recovery progress well over two months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Mr. Mapp is expected to return to the USVI after the Thanksgiving break.

This year government employees are required to report to work on Black Friday, which falls on the day after Thanksgiving, Mr. Potter announced. In years past, employees would be given the day off, but with the government losing so many hours because of the storms, the administration is attempting to make up for the lost time.

The Consortium on Wednesday reported on unsanitary conditions at the Central High School (C.H.S.) on St. Croix, a problem caused by low water pressure. The Dept. of Education, which said on Wednesday that the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority would be working through Friday to fix the issue, said C.H.S., Elena Christian Jr. High and the John H. Woodson High schools — all of which hold classes at C.H.S. — will not have classes on Friday. All other schools will be open on Friday, however.

Relative to the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called DSNAP, the Department of Human Services said that 27,877 residents had applied for assistance, with over $23 million in funds being issued. But the department said 19 percent of the DSNAP cards had yet to be loaded, and blamed connectivity problems and “infrastructure impediments” for the delay. “We do apologize for any inconveniences because I know it was promised that everybody would have their benefits by Thanksgiving. However, due to these issues, we couldn’t load everything at this time,” said Evril Powell, assistant D.H.S. commissioner.

Here are the other important updates from the press event.

• Dept. of Labor Commissioner, Catherine Hendry, said the U.S. Dept. of Labor awarded the local department a $3 million dislocated workers grant to assist in the cleanup and restoration of all public and private nonprofit properties. She said the local department has been coordinating with government and semiautonomous agencies to place dislocated workers in temporary jobs (including demolition, repairs, renovation, construction of damaged and destroyed structures, facilities and lands located in the disaster areas). The grant also includes temporary jobs for distribution of food, clothing and other humanitarian assistance for disaster victims. Nonprofits interested in participating should visit one of D.O.L.’s physical locations, or its website.
• Ms. Hendry reminded employers in the territory that as of June 21, 2017, the USVI’s minimum wage went up to $9.50 per hour with the exception of tourist services and restaurant employees. The reminder suggested that some employers may still be paying their Virgin Islands employees at the last USVI rate of $8.35.
• Julio Rhymer Sr., the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority’s executive director, said the utility has been making steady progress in reenergizing 90 percent of the territory before Christmas. He said as of Wednesday, 40 percent of the USVI had been reenergized, which accounts for over 19,000 customers. Mr. Rhymer said 75 percent of Water Island had also been restored, with a goal of completion set for next week.
• Basketball Travelers, which organizes “Paradise Jam”, a tournament held yearly on St. Thomas but was moved to Liberty University in Virginia because of the storms’ impact on the island, donated $25,000 to the territory’s recovery efforts. Mr. Potter recently traveled to the university to accept the donation. He also made known that proceeds from the tournament — which at last check was over $15,000 — will be donated to the territory as well.
• FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer William Vogel said FEMA has so far approved $193.5 million in disaster assistance funds since the storms. Of that amount, $62 million were in low-interest loans provided through the Small Business Administration (SBA); $109.5 million in public assistance grants, and $22 million in grants for individuals and families — with more than $7 million of the $22 million for central improvements to homes.
• Dept. of Health Commissioner Michelle Davis visited medical evacuees in Puerto Rico, and is set to travel to Georgia in December to meet evacuees and their caretakers there.