VITEMA Declares Territory ‘Exceptionally Prepared’ Following Hurricane Simulation Exercise

With hurricane season underway, V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency Director Daryl Jaschen is assuring residents that the territory is well-positioned to face a major storm. Speaking during a Government House briefing on Monday, Mr. Jaschen said the government’s disaster response team has completed a rigorous two-week exercise, and that the territory is “exceptionally prepared” to respond. During the exercise, a category 3 hurricane was simulateds, Mr. Jaschen made known. Hurricane “Indigo”, as it was called, “had 115 mile an hour winds. It brought in eight to 10 inches of rainfall, and it had a life threatening surge up to 10 feet." In the face of that dangerous hypothetical scenario, emergency responders worked to test their readiness, focusing on aspects including generator installation, fuel management, route clearance to priority sites, and search and rescue. “We worked from H minus 120 hours to H plus 30 hours – what we would be doing, the preparation and response and ...