ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands – Free advice is available to Virgin Islands survivors who are cleaning up and rebuilding after hurricanes Irma and Maria, including techniques to lessen damage to homes, businesses and property in the event of future storms.
Hazard Mitigation Specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be available at the Sea Chest ACE Hardware store to answer questions on stronger building practices. Repairing or rebuilding a home after a disaster can be a daunting task, but with the right information homeowners can build safer, smarter and stronger against disasters.
Time and location:
- Sea Chest ACE Hardware, Charlotte Amalie
- December 18 – 23
- 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Specialists will be on hand to offer home improvement tips along with proven methods to prevent or reduce damage from future disasters, and techniques to build more hazard-resistant homes.
Information will be provided on cleaning up mold and mildew after a storm, as well as tips on how to protect your home against strong winds by securing roofs and siding using special hardware connectors and brackets. FEMA encourages those affected by the storms to stop by and learn more about how to prepare for and help prevent damage to your home before a disaster.
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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS - Video Relay Service)(TTY: 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
For official information on the recovery effort following the hurricanes, please visit www.informusvi.com or www.usviupdate.com. Follow us on social media at twitter.com/femaregion2 and www.facebook.com/FEMAUSVirginIslands.
To donate or volunteer, contact the voluntary or charitable organization of your choice through the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) at www.nvoad.org. For those who wish to help, cash donations offer voluntary agencies the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources and pumps money into the local economy to help businesses recover. The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands also has the “Fund for the Virgin Islands” at www.USVIrecovery.org