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AARP Virgin Islands, the Virgin Islands Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, the St. Croix Long Term Recovery Group, the St. Thomas Recovery Team, and Love City Strong collaborated to donate 1,000 emergency preparedness kits to Virgin Islands seniors in need territory wide, a recently issued release makes known. The collaborative effort was described as the beginning of an ongoing project to help seniors prepare for a natural disaster.
With assistance from the V.I. Department of Human Services' Senior Citizens Affairs Division, the nonprofits said they are able to identify seniors who would need assistance for any type of emergency. The organizations donated basic emergency supplies to help seniors get started with their kits, according to the release. The kits included flashlights, first aid kit, whistle to signal for help, dust masks, moist towelettes, hand sanitizer, insect repellent, an emergency blanket, and toilet paper. DHS's Senior Citizens Affairs Division helped to prepare the kits and has been distributing the kits territory-wide to seniors in need that participate in their different programs, according to the release.
Tips were also shared to reinforce that planning and preparing can help seniors and their family recover from an emergency faster. Troy Schuster, AARP Virgin Islands state director, stated, “Our hope is for the information and items shared in these kits will help not only Virgin Islands seniors, but also their family members and caregivers be prepared. We should all have a plan on what you need to do before, during and after, in the event a disaster strikes. Having a plan and basic essentials organized in a kit or stored in a central location for easy access does help.”
AARP VI said it will continue to collaborate with community partners to expand its outreach around disaster preparedness for Virgin Islanders, especially the 50+ population, to continue to provide valuable information and resources.
For more information on the VI Emergency Preparedness Kit Project and future projects, call (340) 713-2002.
