Mapp Tells Trump Territory Needs Up To $750 Million To Rebuild After Hurricanes Irma And Maria

ST. CROIX — Governor Kenneth Mapp met President Donald Trump Tuesday on the USS Kearsarge, where the governor for the first time spoke in person with the president, first expressing gratitude for the federal help that has been so evident in the U.S. Virgin Islands, expressing condolences for the Las Vegas massacre, and also petitioning Mr. Trump on the USVI’s behalf for funding to rebuild the territory’s schools and hospitals, as four public schools have been condemned following the storms (two in St. Thomas and two on St. Croix), and both hospitals, according to the governor, need to be rebuilt.

The governor described the meeting as “very productive,” and again hailed the federal response to the disasters in the U.S. Virgin Islands, stating, “We as Americans, we’re getting better at this process. It’s not perfect, but we’re getting better at it.”

Aside from the important matters of rebuilding schools and hospitals, the governor said he spoke with the president about placing the territory’s power distribution system underground, which would make for a faster recovery when another storm hits. And he expressed his frustration to the president about the slow pace with which the Blue Roof Project was moving.

Mr. Mapp said he told Mr. Trump that the territory would need between $500 million to $750 million to rebuild the USVI following the storms, although the governor added that a proper assessment was being conducted by both the local government and its federal partners, that will determine the true cost of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria-related damage, according to Moody’s Analytics, is $95 billion. The White House is crafting a $29 billion disaster aid package that it intends to send to Congress to shore up the federal flood insurance program, and $13 billion in additional relief covering the entire hurricane and wildfire seasons, according to Bloomberg.

Yet even after relaying his concerns, Mr. Mapp said the focus during the meeting was the immediate needs of the territory, which the governor said included over $20 million in federal funds to the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority for work on the territory’s power restoration, which Mr. Mapp said had not been deposited to W.A.P.A.’s account as of Tuesday. The funds will be used pay hundreds of linemen from around the U.S., ship their equipment to the territory and buy materials needed to restore power. The governor did not say whether he spoke with Mr. Mapp about the territory’s high cost of medicaid reimbursement compared to U.S. states.

Mr. Trump told the governor that his request for up to $750 million would need to be approved by Congress. The Consortium asked Mr. Mapp whether he was confident that the territory would receive the funds it needs, but the governor gave no certainties; he said his administration would lobby Congress and use its people in Washington to make the territory’s case. The effort will include a lot of trips to nation’s capital, Mr. Mapp said.

But with Puerto Rico’s Maria-related damage estimated to be $95 billion, and the Trump administration requesting from Congress only $29 billion in additional funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to respond to crises — $16 billion of which will be for the FEMA’s flood insurance program and $13 billion for wildfire and hurricane disasters through the U.S. and the U.S. territories — it remains to be seen whether the U.S. Virgin Islands will receive the amount of funding the governor estimates it needs.

As for the president’s visit to the USVI, Mr. Mapp said Mr. Trump would visit the territory sooner than people expect.

Below are the other important details from Tuesday press briefing:

1. The Blue Roof Project has hastened somewhat, with 63 installs as of Tuesday, according to William Vogel, federal coordinating officer of FEMA Region II.
2. The Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) assessed all 18 schools in the territory to determine the types of generators they need in order to function. CoE also had concerns about the amount of debris at the learning facilities, and wanted to assure that they were safe before school resumes. The Dept. of Education has been eyeing an Oct. 9 reopening for schools in St. Thomas and a tentative Oct. 16 date for St. Croix. However, Mr. Mapp expressed skepticism for both dates, and said some schools would probably resume classes before others.
3. The governor will make an appearance on the ground in St. Thomas on Wednesday to get a firsthand assessment of his teams’ efforts. He will also meet with officials from the Waste Management Authority, Dept. of Public Works and the Dept. of Planning and Natural Resources to find a solution for debris removal on St. John.
4. Jason Julius, the WAPA lineman who died while working to restore power in the Sugar Estate area in St. Thomas last month, will be laid to rest on Saturday, and the governor requested that his cabinet members be present for the event.
5. The Denmark Emergency Management Agency advance team will arrive in the territory on Wednesday with the goal of identifying how it could best aid the USVI.
6. The Department of Labor is aiming for a Friday release of unemployment checks.
7. The Department of Tourism said over 4,800 persons have left the territory on mercy flights and cruises, of which 1,700 were tourists. The department stressed that there would be no mercy missions back to the USVI.
8. D.O.T. Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty said while some volatility in flights to the territory persisted, Delta Airlines, American Airlines and Jetblue all had commercial flights at the St. Thomas airport Tuesday. Once commercial traffic resumes at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix, the aforementioned carriers are expected to have flights available as well.
9. Seaborne Airlines and Cape Air continue to operate flights at the airport (Seaborne Airlines’ seaplane terminal is also in operation).
10. Mrs. Nicholson-Doty said D.O.T. hosted a “very positive” meeting with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, which consists of 19 cruise lines operating more than 100 vessels in Floridian, Caribbean and Latin American waters, according to the nonprofit’s website. Mrs. Nicholson-Doty said the meeting included five cruise line members, all of whom were “excited” to do business in the territory. Officials of these cruise lines will be in the USVI within the next ten days to see the progress the territory has made following the storms, and to help determine how soon cruise ships can return.
11. Dept. of Health Commissioner Michelle Davis, responding to a Consortium question about the department’s stated plan to return medical evacuees to the territory, said returning medical evacuees not yet ready to be discharged, will be housed in mobile hospital units that will be provided by the federal government in both districts, which will include all the aspects of a hospital. These units will be available to all residents. Asked how long the units would be available to the territory since the hospitals are in badly need of major repair (Governor Mapp is advocating for total reconstruction of the facilities), Ms. Davis suggested that the units would be available for as long as they’re needed (she mentioned up to three years, but did not put a cap on the duration).
12. AT&T continues to make progress, and has prioritized certain towers territory-wide. On St. Croix, they are the Blue Mountain and Sunny Isle towers, according to  the governor.
13. The Department of Public Works said it has removed 17,000 cubic yards of debris in six days on St. Croix, with work expected to ramp up in the coming days. The department did not have numbers for the St. Thomas-St. John District, but is expected to provide those details at an upcoming briefing.
14. Distribution centers will reopen territory-wide today, although they are expected to be closed on Thursday and Friday.
15. Home Depot opens today from 11:00 a.m.
16. The QEIV Ferry is back in service, starting with one scheduled voyage between St. Croix and St. Thomas at 12 noon, and St. Thomas to St. Croix at 3:00 p.m.
17. FEMA received more commodities on Tuesday, among them toddler items, tarps, generators and even dog food.
18. Police Commissioner Delroy Richards said the V.I.P.D. would continue to make arrests even as the Golden Grove Correctional Facility was running out of space to house those arrested. Mr. Richards said a lot of the current crimes involve domestic violence, a phenomenon he said was being caused by hurricane stress. The commissioner — as well as Mr. Mapp — encouraged residents to take advantage of the Dept. of Health’s stress helpline by calling 1-800-985-5990.
19. Governor Mapp said he would meet with Bureau of Corrections Director Rick Mullgrav for an assessment and plan to ship prisoners to mainland facilities to ensure that the local facility has room for those who continue to commit crime.
20. Adjutant General Deborah Howell deemed Tuesday a bittersweet day for the VI National Guard, as many of the guardsmen — over 2,000 — who have been helping with the recovery of the territory, were beginning to leave. She thanked the 25 states whose soldiers participated, including Alaska, Arizona, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, California, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, DC, Wisconsin, Vermont, Puerto Rico and New Hampshire.