The US Virgin Islands

The United States Virgin Islands is a group of three small islands just East of Puerto Rico. St. John is mostly a National Park with wild mountains and white sandy beaches. St. Crouix is mostly residential. St. Thomas is the governmental capital, economic and transportation center of the islands. Is also serves as the main economic center and transportation hub for many Caribbean Nations.

The islands were bought by the US government from the Denmark in March 1917 for $25 million dollars and were made a territory of the United States. This mean that every person born there is an American Citizen, US Military protection and other Federal Services like FEMA, FBI, and Customs and Border Protection. The US Virgin Islands are not represented in the legislature but they do vote for president.

My Mission

In the September of 2017, the US and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico were hit with two category five hurricanes (Irma and Maria) within two weeks. The islands suffered massive damage. No one could get in or out for at least two days and after that only the military and Federal relief workers could access the island.

As I mentioned in my intro, I work for the Federal government and I volunteered and was selected to help my agency resume operations. All I knew when I was notified is that I would be there for at least 90 days and I would be staying in a hotel. I left from Seattle at the end of October two days after I was notified.

I left SeaTac around 11pm and was going to transit thru Atlanta and then to Cyril E. King International Airport in St. Thomas.

First Impressions

Landing at Cyril E. King International Airport is very similar to any other major airport, except they have no jet ways. Walking across the tarmac to the terminal I got my first hit of the tropical heat and humidity. Given that it was winter it was not terrible.

After collecting my bags we headed to our rental car and made our way to the hotel. The first culture shock was something so simple, they drive on the left hand side of the road. I had to tell my coworker this when he started veering into oncoming traffic. This was the first of many things I had to get used to during my three month stay.

The Damage

During the short one mile drive from the airport to the hotel, I noticed that every building and structure had some degree of damage. No street lights, traffic lights and most of the island did not have power. As I began to explore more and more of the island the damage brought by the hurricanes were both impressive and terrible. So many boats brought ashore, roads washed out and collapsed buildings.

My hotel and room was also not free from damage. The hotel was built well and did not have any structural damage but did have a lot of cosmetic damage. My room had its sliding door blown out and there was some mold in the room. Despite these small problems I had it much better than most others on the island. I had electricity, limited wifi, hot and cold running water and four walls and a roof.

The Islands

The obvious draw for the Islands is the beaches, crystal clear waters and resort hotels on the water. While most of the resorts suffered terrible damage, the beaches and waters were just as perfect as you would imagine.

Adventures under water

One of my favorites things to do on the weekends were snorkeling and scuba diving. It was some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving, I have ever done. My personal favorite was Cruz Bay. Its was the only place I went Scuba Diving and they had alot of shallow reefs great for snorkeling.

Trip to a Place I have never heard of

One of the more memorable parts of my trip was a day trip to the little island of Anegada. Never heard of it, well me too at the time. Anegada is part of the British Virgin Islands and requires a passport to visit. This is actually my first international trip.

We took a small two deck boat from Red Hook in St. Thomas with two friends. The trip would take 2 hours.

We had to make a stop in West End, British Virgin Island and saw even more damage. After leaving West End we started steaming Northeast. I actually got a little concerned for a few minutes when we seemed to be heading out to sea with no destination in front of us. Eventually thought the low island came into view and we landed at Anegada.

When we landed they were having a Lobster festival. The islands only has a two neighborhoods and has only around 250 local residents. The island is again mostly known for beaches and clear waters. We managed to get from one island to the other by walking and local taxi cabs which were nothing more than pickup trucks with seats in the back.

After spending all day tasting lobster and a having a few liquid refreshments and swimming in the crystal blue waters we started our two hour journey back to St. Thomas. On the way back we were entertained by one of the best sunsets I have ever seen.

The People

The residents of the Virgin Islands are very friendly, tough and resilient people. Most of the residents decided or could afford to get off the islands. I talked to residents who literally had no homes and still were able to smile and laugh and make me feel welcome and appreciated for being there.

The Rebuild

Slowly but surely the islands began to get back on their feet. Something as simple as a traffic light working again was cause for celebration. The hotel started to get back on its feet. My sliding door was fixed, television came back, WiFi became stronger and the AC started working. Many of the bigger resorts and residential houses will take years and millions of dollars to even start accepting guests again.

Helping the K9s

A major problem on the islands is straw dogs and other animals. During my stay I hooked up with the St. Thomas Humane Society that takes in, cares for and sends these stray dogs to the mainland for adoption. I spent a couple hours a week just walking and socializing with these dogs. These dogs had a whole host of medical problems and came from abusive owners.

Right after we got there, a coworker of mine found a stray (or neglected) pup behind our hotel. He usually stayed behind a fence of someone’s property but we never saw anyone around the property. He would bring him food scraps and whole food. Eventually we took this dog to the Humane Society. My friend wanted to adopt him and bring him back to Seattle. He named him Hurricane and after receiving medical treatment at the Humane Society, Hurricane now lives in the Seattle area.

My Trip Home

After three months of working, exploring and enjoying the island culture it was time to head home. I could have staying longer but I needed to return home to take care of personal and household issues. Taking off from the airport to Miami I got one final look at St. Thomas. The island has a long way to go before they are back to what they were but I have every confidence they will.

Lasting impressions

I went to these islands to help in anyway that I could. I knew the islands were devastated from these storms and had a long road to recovery. I didn’t know much about what my job or living situation would be. When I arrived at the island it was a complete culture shock. Driving on the left side, living on an island smaller than most cities, food and English-Creole dialect were completely foreign to me. As time went on, I started becoming more and more comfortable and familiar with the island and its people.

To be honest I was homesick the entire time I was there. I missed the my family, my home, colder weather and the simple act of cooking in a kitchen. But thinking about my trip always puts a smile on my face. The work I did, the people I met, and the stories will be with me my for the rest of my life.

This trip helped me releaize a couple of things. First, that I live in a place that I truly belong. I could never live on an island, it is too claustrophobic and I find going to the beach pretty boring when that is all there is to do. Second is the resliency of people. The islands were truly devastated but many people wanted to stay and rebuild there lives there. They saw a future in utter devastation and pushed forward to rebuild. They truly showed the American and human spirit.
https://youtu.be/OZBDapBpjjM
A video with a few more photos. Enjoy!!