President Clinton has approved the Turnbull administration's request that the federal government cover 90 percent of the eligible costs of assistance in three program areas as a result of damage caused in the territory by Hurricane Lenny last November.
That is an increase from the 75 percent that Washington automatically provides when the president declares a federal disaster.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull said in a release issued by Government House Friday afternoon that his administration estimates Lenny's damages to the territory "to be in the neighborhood of $9.8 million." Using that figure, the federal government's share of assistance would now be $8.82 million, up from $7.35 million. At the same time, the V.I. government's matching share would be $980,000, down from $2.45 million.
Turnbull termed the news, received from the White House earlier Friday, "extremely good news" that "will have a positive impact on our financial condition."
Clinton declared a federal disaster in the territory last Nov. 23 after Lenny struck on Nov. 17. On May 16, the Turnbull administration requested that the president amend his declaration to provide 90 percent federal assistance, rather than 75 percent.
The assistance is for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Public Assistance, Individual and Family Grant, and Hazard Mitigation programs. Public assistance covers local government infrastructure — buildings, highways and the like. The IFG program assists those suffering damage to their residence and/or personal possessions. Hazard mitigation is the process of taking steps to minimize the potential impact for damage in a future disaster — "building safer, stronger, smarter," as the slogan in the Hurricane Marilyn recovery put it.
"The president has determined that the damage to the territory is of sufficient severity and magnitude that special conditions warranted this unprecedented amendment," the Government House release quoted the governor as saying.
Washington also upped the federal/local match in grant funds to 90/10 from 75/25 for assistance to the territory following Marilyn in 1995 and Hurricane Bertha in 1996. The territory has yet to repay loans from the federal government taken out to meet its 10 percent match in those disasters.
Turnbull said the territory has "many friends in Washington who are willing and ready to help the people of the Virgin Islands once we have demonstrated that we are serious about putting our house in order and take action to help ourselves." He termed the increase in federal assistance "another indication that we are making progress in our efforts to recovery from our economic problems."
