People of the Virgin Islands, good morning and God’s blessings.
By the goodness and grace of our Heavenly Father, we have been spared from serious damages that could have resulted from the passage of Tropical Storm Isaias last night.
Given the forecast rainfall amounts and wind speeds experienced in St Martin and Puerto Rico, we know that flooding and other damages were a real possibility as this system passed us.
I thank God for the dedicated preparatory work carried out by many of our Government agencies to help mitigate impact on lives and property.
I also thank you the people for doing your part to prepare and be ready.
I know that every one of you from my fellow Members of the House of Assembly, to those providers of essential and critical services who worked during the passage of Isaias; to the private sector employers who took steps to protect their businesses and staff; all the way to the persons who simply reached out to their neighbours to see how they might lend a hand with preparations; each and every one of you contributed to our Territory coming safely through this storm.
A special thanks has been earned by the teams from essential services, Works and Utilities for going out to assess the Territory this morning to ensure that we can all return to a state of normalcy now as we continue to move forward in our “New Regular,” living and working with COVID-19.
I am asking all of us to remain vigilant.
Let us think about what more needs to be done around our homes or businesses, in terms of what may not have withstood the strong wind and heavy rain as well as we would have liked. I would urge you to think carefully about what Isaias is trying to teach you and how you can move forward into the remainder of the hurricane season stronger, safer and more prepared.
And for all of us returning to our routine, I hope that you will continue to be the vigilant citizens that you have shown yourselves to be in the face of a global pandemic and an active Atlantic Hurricane Season.
This year it is especially important that we stay in preparedness mode. We must continue to monitor the advisories provided by the Department of Disaster Management so that we are able to plan ahead.
May God continue to bless and protect you the people of the Virgin Islands and this Territory.
Let us Be Ready and Stay Ready!
Thank you.
