Six Months Later: Virgin Islands Post-Hurricane Progress Report

Repairing homes on St Thomas following the devastating hurricanes. Reposted from St Thomas Reformed Church

The aftereffects of a hurricane can linger for months or even years. After a pair of Category 5 hurricanes attacked the U.S. Virgin Islands six months ago, our sister congregations on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix began a long and difficult journey to recovery and normalization. 

The journey is still in progress. Even after all this time has passed, much work still needs to be done, including hauling trash, cleaning debris, and repairing the churches. Many volunteers have generously given their time and love, including those from the Harbor Churches in Michigan; the Reformed Church of the Thousand Isles in Alexandria Bay, New York; First Reformed Church in Aplington, Iowa; and Three Bridges Reformed Church in Three Bridges, New Jersey. 

“I’m grateful for these people who remind us where our hope lies,” writes St. Thomas Reformed pastor Jeff Neevel, “that we are part of a larger body of faith.”

“I’m grateful for these people who remind us where our hope lies,” writes St. Thomas Reformed pastor Jeff Neevel, “that we are part of a larger body of faith.”

Progress on St. Croix has been especially difficult, since it’s much less developed than St. Thomas, and it’s especially rural. Its downtown center was completely flooded and destroyed. As a result, so many people are out of work; others can’t get to work. At last report, only half the schools are open and medical facilities are bare-bones.  A lot of the trouble involves waiting: waiting for contractors, supplies, repairs and insurance payments.

“There are projects that could be done if there were hands to do them,” says Peter TeWinkle, the interim pastor of St. Croix Reformed Church. “The greatest need is more shelters, warehouses for supplies, and housing for responders.”

Much of the post-hurricane damage has been psychological as well as physical.

 “People are wearing down,” Peter says. “The storms exacerbated the neglect of mental-health infrastructure and counseling. More people need crisis and trauma counseling, and there just aren’t enough places.” 

St. Croix Reformed Church had been mourning the death of its longtime pastor, Rod Koopmans, for just a few months when the storms hit.

“They barely had time to grieve before two category 5 hurricanes struck,” Peter says. “They are looking for a pastor, trying to discern their future, and rebuilding after a hurricane.”

Donations stored in the Sanctuary at St Thomas, ready for distribution

Regional Synod of New York executive minister Amy Nyland oversees all of the churches in our Synod, from the mid-Hudson Valley to the boroughs and Long Island. Also in the mix: the Virgin Islands, which include St. Thomas and St. Croix. Needless to say, the status of the island churches has been among her top priorities.

“The churches have been there for a very long time,” Amy says. “The St. Croix church has been there for 278 years. I know people in that church — Dutch folks — who are sixth-generation St. Croxian.”

She adds that, because the islands are part of the Caribbean culture, there is not much infrastructure. 

Flooding in St Thomas following the hurricanes. November 2017

“The whole industry on St. Thomas is tourism,” she says, “and when you have a hurricane, people don’t go there. The ocean — in city block terms — is less than ten blocks from the church’s doorstep. The flooding after the hurricane came within a block of their church. Everything flooded, including the basement, which they just refinished.”

Jeff and his church members served meals to islanders. On the first day, they had 30 or 40 people, and by the end of the week, they fed 300 people.

“They did that for — I want to say — four or five weeks,” Amy says. “Every day, they provided meals for people. Also diapers and deodorant. For weeks.”

As of now, both islands have power and clean water again. Yet there is still much to do, particularly in cleanup. There is a need for volunteers, and the RCA continues to organize groups. Both churches anticipate that the cleanup could take up to a year.

Your best bet for sending donations: get it directly to the Synod. 

“We’ll wire it directly to their bank,” Amy says. “We don’t keep any portion of it.”

Checks are best; they are not set up for credit cards. All donations are tax deductible.

Send your checks to:

Regional Synod of NY

42 North Broadway

Tarrytown, NY 10591

Write in memo field: US VI, or more specifically, St. Thomas or St. Croix

Make check payable to the Regional Synod of NY

Click here to follow the St. Thomas Reform Church on Facebook.

Click here to follow our Regional Synod of New York on Facebook.

Click here to find out about volunteer opportunities.

St Thomas has been a distribution center for emergency relief and supplies since the hurricanes of October 2017.

Locals wait in line at St Thomas for relief supplies. Repost from St Thomas Reformed Church