London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 23, 2025

DDM looking to establish up to 40 Hurricane Shelters

With some 91.8% of its budgeted $927,745.41 funds utilised by end of 2019, the Virgin Islands Department of Disaster Management (DDM) is looking to increase the territory's hurricane shelter facilities to no less than 40 in the coming year.

This was revealed in the report on the deliberations of the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) held between November 20 and 29, 2019 at the Office of the House of Assembly in Road Town, Tortola.

Planning for 2020 & Ahead

According to Mr Jason Penn, Emergency Communications Director of Disaster Management, a number of shelters would be retrofitted and upgraded ahead of the 2020 hurricane season and these details came following inquires from Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) on what knowledge was gained from devastating hurricanes Irma, Maria and Dorian and the plans moving forward.

The report stated that Mrs Sharleen S. Dabreo-Lettsome, Acting Permanent Secretary, Deputy Governor’s Office (Ag.PSDGO) stated that prior to hurricane Irma less than 1% of the population was occupying shelters. It said that after Irma, about four hundred (400) persons were in official shelters.

The report continued, "she stated that there are twenty-eight (28) to thirty (30) shelters with the potential to increase to forty (40), which will include areas that are not close to the shoreline."

According to the PSDGO, the DDM is also considering higher elevations for buildings, which according to them remains a challenge due to the VI being a "small country" and most areas are surrounded by sea.

Bahamians were 'streaming' during Dorian - Hon Fraser

Assessing the VI's communications infrastructure during Irma and Maria of 2017, Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) stated that during the havoc caused by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, persons were still streaming live and had internet and electricity.

"Yet there are persons prepared to concede that the British Virgin Islands was in a better place after hurricane Irma, despite our entire telecommunications and electricity infrastructure being destroyed," he said.

Hon Fraser recognised the DDM for the recovery work post-Irma and urged them to continue on the level of competence shown during the period.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×