Mapp Announces Launch Of Website To Track Recovery Funds

Governor Kenneth E. Mapp announced Wednesday the launch of the USVI Hurricane Recovery website managed by the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority to track U.S. Federal Disaster funding of nearly $2 billion awarded to the territory thus far, according to a press release Government House issued Tuesday. This amount excludes the $243 million of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Government House said.

The site offers live and accessible data for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding through the Individual Assistance, Public Assistance, Community Disaster Loans, and Hazard Mitigation Grant Programs, as well as Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. Government House said the website represents Mr. Mapp’s continued commitment to providing accountability and transparency to the residents of the territory.

“Thankfully, we have received crucial and significant economic support from the federal government through FEMA and other federal agencies. We are not only recovering from two devastating hurricanes, but doing so in a manner that provides transparency for our federal partners and to the public as to how public funding is being issued and allocated,” the governor said.

Visit the USVI Hurricane Recovery website for periodic information drawn from the databases of the federal awarding agencies for grant programs administered by the Government of the Virgin Islands in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. For further information, contact Ms. Sandy Berry at (340) 714-1635 or [email protected].

Additional facts:

Visitors to the website can track funds by program and hurricane. For the FEMA Public Assistance program, the funds can additionally be tracked by island, category of grant or applicant (government agency or non-profit organization receiving the grants). Information on the website will be updated monthly.

The website currently includes information on grants from the following programs:

• FEMA Public Assistance program which includes: debris removal, emergency response costs and repair and replacement of equipment and infrastructure
• FEMA Individual Assistance program which provides assistance with housing and other needs including medical, child care, funeral and burial, essential household items, moving and storage and vehicle expenses as a result of the disasters
• FEMA Community Disaster Loans, which provide for revenue loss for government agencies
• FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides grants to communities for sustainable, cost-effective actions to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from future disasters
• Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loans are provided to businesses, renters and homeowners for disaster related loses
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grants – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) which provide grants to communities with an emphasis on the most impacted and distressed areas for disaster relief, long-term recovery, restoration of infrastructure, housing and economic revitalization.