Backup Battery Program Begins for Medically Vulnerable Residents Ahead of Peak Hurricane Season

The V.I. Resiliency Gateway Program is now underway, with officials preparing to distribute portable backup battery systems to medically vulnerable residents who rely on powered medical devices and essential equipment during outages. Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach announced Monday that the program, known as VIRG, is officially active. Launched in April, the initiative is intended to distribute approximately 900 portable battery systems across the Virgin Islands. The systems are designed to help qualifying residents power medical devices and essential appliances during intermittent power outages. “An outage is an inconvenience for someone who depends on an oxygen concentrator, a CPAP machine, refrigerated medication, or another powered medical device," Lt. Gov. Roach stated during the administration's weekly press briefing, warning that under these circumstances, a lack of electricity "can quickly become dangerous." VIRG is intended to address that risk by providing direct suppo...