Community Projects Help Us Become Empowered and Prepared, Together.
USVI Storm Strong Program graduates turn knowledge into action to prepare their communities for hurricane season.
An easily overlooked byproduct of the 2017 hurricanes is the resiliency of our island community, particularly our young people. The fear and trauma of those hurricanes was deeply felt by them too, which is part of the reason why USVI Storm Strong was born: to help strengthen our youth, and our community, and prepare them for the next season of storms.
Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Environmental Literacy Program (ELP), USVI Storm Strong is a 5-year, workshop-based, hurricane preparedness program. USVI Storm Strong's first annual workshop took place in 2019 and based on what they learned, the Program graduates came up with three pretty exciting projects to help their families and their community be better prepared for the next major storm.
Hurricane Home Health
When asked to reflect on the 2017 hurricanes, 2019 program graduates Kaylin & Anissa Wallen 11th and 10th graders at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, were concerned about all the mold that seemed to grow like crazy in and around their home and their neighbor’s homes after the storms.
“After hurricanes Irma and Maria also known as “IrMaria”, one cry from everyone in our community was the build-up of mold in their house and offices throughout the island. The mold was destroying property while causing people to get physically sick.”
To tackle the mold problem, they created a ‘Mold Safety Card,” to highlight the dangers of mold and how to safely clean it up.
Kaylin Wallen pitches her community project idea to the other Storm Strong Program 2019 workshop participants, June 2019. Drafting and outlining these project ideas was a big part of the 8-week workshops; it allowed participants to work together with each other and the project team to create accomplishable projects funded by the program. Photo A. Durdall
On the back of the card, they added information on how to make sure our water is safe to drink. The sisters then partnered with the Virgin Islands Water Quality Education Program to distribute the cards in St. Thomas schools.
“I believe that the mold readiness card will help our community after a storm and even throughout the year. The cards have some really good mold and water safety tips with simple instructions. My sister and l are very proud of our finished product. We’re thankful for all the help from UVI’s Storm Strong Team.”
Nearly 1,300 cards have been shared at public events, in local business offices, and at St. Thomas Schools. But they aren’t done! Although COVID-19 closures have pushed their plans back, they are ready and waiting to pass-out more cards at VI schools on all islands as soon as they re-open.
Hurricane Supply Distribution
The next project was brought to the table by Amber LaPlace, a 10th grader at All Saints Cathedral School. She knew that in the past some of her neighbors had trouble getting the supplies they needed when a storm was approaching. Amber’s proposal was to create hurricane kits and a guide book that would be handed out free to members of the community. Because this project was going to cost more than the budget allowed, Amber and her mom, Jessica, had to get extra funding. Thanks to a $3,600 donation from the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) they were able to meet their goal.
Above: Amber LaPlace is hard at work assembling hurricane preparedness kits to distribute to community members at the 2019 St. Thomas & St. John Agriculture Fair. Photo: KW Grimes.
Now here’s the fun part! Because it can’t be all work all the time, Amber had the idea of creating carnival-style games that people could play in order to win a free kit. With the help of 14 volunteers and some pretty exciting games, 200 kits and 243 prizes were given away at two different events!
Each kit included a 5-gallon bucket and lid for water-tight storage, cleaning supplies, waterproof matches, a laminated preparedness checklist, and a NOAA preparation guide booklet. Additional hurricane preparedness prizes ranged from basic items (work gloves, metal flashlights, rope and clothespins, etc.) to high-ticket ones (solar chargers, lanterns, gas cans, first-aid kits, medicine coolers, etc.). The community events were such a success, that CFVI provided the team with more funding to do it again at Reef Fest 2020.
We are SO disappointed that Reef Fest was canceled this year because of COVID-19, but the Storm Strong team worked hard to come up with a Plan B. Currently, the prizes are being offered as part of our new online learning activities.
One Territory, One Pot
The third community project resulted from a conversation between 2019 program graduates Denise Webster, Annette Mauvais, and Marguerite ‘Sister’ Price. The trio joined forces because they shared concerns about food security in the face of hurricanes. They bonded over how, even in a crisis, they try to find ways to make creative meals to keep their spirits up and families well-fed. From that conversation, the One Territory, One-pot: Easy Recipies for Hard times cookbook idea was born. This community-sourced, hurricane-inspired cookbook will feature recipes that use the non-perishable ingredients we stock up on and can be prepared using limited resources like camp stoves and coal pots.
This is where you come in: We want your easy recipes for hard times! To be featured in our cookbook, send us your favorite recipes by August 1st, 2020. Visit here for all the submission details. The cookbook will be published digitally, and free to download (limited printed copies may also be available). As a bonus, a local celebrity chef will host a live online demo preparing the best recipes!
Above: 2019 program graduates Denise Webster, Annette Mauvais, Marguerite ‘Sister’ Price, and project team member Jarvon Stout are hard at work on their community cookbook project idea at a workshop session in June 2019. Photo A. Durdall
The three projects highlighted here are just the tip of the iceberg for the USVI Storm Strong Program, which has plans to host free workshops through 2023, and hopes to expand to St. John and St. Croix next year. Keep your eyes peeled as this group continues to impact hurricane resiliency in the VI community.