Mapp Confirms Trump Visit Next Week; At Least Three Schools Territory-Wide Being Condemned Because Of Hurricane Damage

The following are updates from Governor Kenneth Mapp’s Wednesday press briefing, held at Government House on St. Croix

1. The governor confirmed that President Donald Trump, after his planned trip to the USVI was delayed by Hurricane Maria, will visit the territory — along with Puerto Rico — next week.
2. Mr. Mapp announced that at least three schools territory-wide were being condemned: the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School and the E. Benjamin Oliver Elementary School on St. Thomas. On St. Croix, Mr. Mapp said the Arthur Richards Junior High School would be condemned, and that a decision on the Eulalie Rivera Elementary School was pending.
3. The government is aiming for an October 9 reopening of school on St. Thomas. “This is going to be contingent on a number of issues that the Department of Education will have to take care of,” Mr. Mapp said. Dept. of Education will wave the uniform requirement and allow students to wear appropriate clothing.
4. St. Thomas high school seniors from the Eudora Kean and Charlotte Amalie high schools are to meet at Charlotte Amalie High School’s auditorium at 11:00 a.m. on Friday.
5. E. Benjamin Oliver Elementary School students will be combined with the Yvonne Bowsky Elementary School.
6. For St. Croix, the governor said D.O.E. is formulating a plan that will be announced soon relative to the reopening of school. St. Croix seniors, Mr. Mapp said, may commence school before other students, so as to not delay the seniors’ graduation and high education plans.
7. D.O.E. employees are to report to work one hour after the curfew lifts Thursday, which is 12 noon.
8. Mr. Mapp acknowledged debris pileup on St. John, and said barges have agreed to early-morning and late-afternoon trips to carry the loads out of St. John. The governor expressed urgency in dealing with the debris situation on the island.
9. Mr. Mapp said 80 individuals registered for the “mercy” cruise ship mission at the Cotton Valley Fire Station; 100 at the Cardiac Center located at the Juan F. Luis Hospital, and 350 people showed up at the Ann E. Abramson Pier in Frederiksted, with the first 100 being registered to be on the cruise ship. Persons who qualified for the “urgent” category to get on the cruise ship included the following: Those with medical conditions; disability; being 75 years and older; and pregnant mothers, according to the governor. The ship will arrive on St. Croix on Friday, receive 750 persons, head to St. Thomas, where it will receive 250 persons (50 from St. Thomas and 200 from St. John), and depart the territory on Saturday for a two-day trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From there, mercy cruise passengers are to find their way.
10. The number to call to be listed for a mercy mission trip is now 772-713-6801. On Tuesday, the governor said the number was 713-6801, giving the impression that the area code was 340. However on Wednesday, he was given new information revealing the area code of the mercy mission number to be 772.
11. Distribution centers will reopen on Friday. Three additional centers will open on St. Croix, bringing the island’s total to 8. The new centers will be announced Thursday.
12. 40 New York State Troopers have arrived in the territory to aid with security.
13. Mr. Mapp said there was a glitch in the government’s payroll on Wednesday, therefore only government employees with bank accounts at Banco Popular will receive their pay on Thursday. Employees with accounts in other banks will receive their pay on Friday.
14. Mr. Mapp said there were over 20 million barrels of fuel in the territory (at Limetree Bay Terminals) as of Wednesday, of which 4 million is diesel.
15. Viya has installed internet hot spots on St. Croix at Plaza Extra West, Plaza Extra East and Vitema’s Emergency Operations Center. The firm is anticipating that it will have additional hot spots in Christiansted, Frederiksted and Sunny Isles shortly. The password is ViyaFi_FREE_ACCESS.
16. The Virgin Islands Next General Nextwork has installed an internet hot spot at the Florence Williams Public Library in Christiansted.
17. FEMA received 162,000 meals today and 120,000 litters of water. The federal agency increased its ability to assess communications tower requirements by three times, as it now has 8 teams on the ground. Roughly 9,559  persons have registered  for disaster assistance.
18. Insurance adjusters are arriving in the territory and are being vetted by the Lieutenant Governor’s Office. Approved adjusters will carry a government ID as proof of legitimacy.
19. The governor said registration centers to apply for a permanent housing construction program will be announced in the coming weeks, and he invited the uninsured, underinsured and even insured homeowners to visit the centers to apply for the program. Following registration, an analysis will be conducted to assess the damage and needs of the home, which will be followed by — among the things — an allotment of funds for the reconstruction of the property. The governor warned against claiming more than what was lost during Hurricanes Irma and Maria, reminding potential enrollees that the program is being helmed by the federal government, and any fraud committed would be punishable under federal law.