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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
HomeNewsLocal newsFEMA Officials Provide Senators with Off-Camera Briefing

FEMA Officials Provide Senators with Off-Camera Briefing

Sen. Allison Degazon, wearing red, Sen. Alicia Barnes wearing black, and FEMA Regional Coordinator Jacquline Heyliger speaking at Tuesday's briefing. (V.I. Legislature photo)
Sen. Allison Degazon, wearing red, Sen. Alicia Barnes wearing black, and FEMA Regional Coordinator Jacqueline Heyliger speaking at Tuesday’s briefing. (V.I. Legislature photo)

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials Jacqueline Heyliger and Marisa Allen briefed USVI senators on federal spending in the territory at an unpublicized, informal meeting at the St. Croix Training Annex in the Nissan Building in Christiansted Tuesday.

Senators held a similar non-public meeting with Economic Development Authority officials Monday. This sort of information-gathering has historically been provided in televised public V.I. Legislature committee hearings. These non-public meetings are a departure from past practice.

The information released by the Legislature about the meeting was cursory and fragmented, with a mix of numbers without context or background information and statements of long-public information, such as the fact that federal funds are being spent to put some Water and Power Authority lines underground and WAPA is putting up hurricane-resistant poles.

According to the Legislature, senators were told that as of Feb. 5 the federal government had made more than $2 billion in funding available. FEMA Public Assistance comes to $1.7 billion.

FEMA officials reportedly said that as of Feb. 5, $1.2 billion is obligated,with 461 requests for Public Assistance and 552 projects in the works.

U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans come to $535.5 million among 7,641 separate loans. National Flood Insurance Program payments come to $17.1 million and Hazard Mitigation Grants total $22.7 million.

According to the Legislature, Senators in attendance at FEMA’s Tuesday briefing were: Senate President Kenneth Gittens, Sens. Alicia Barnes, Javan James, Kurt Vialet, and Novelle Francis. Sen. Allison Degazon is also in one of the photos provided by the Legislature.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Let’s take a closer look at what is being said. Kind of confusing! “ the federal government had made more than 2 billion dollars available.” “Had” . What does that mean? Is it still available? Did we spend /allocate ALL the funds already?

    Public Assistance is 1.7 billion. What is the breakdown on public assistance? Who and what in the public did they assist? Did they assist the already assisted or did the assist unassisted tax paying public? Confused? I don’t remember getting any assistance that would add up to 1.7 billion.

    1.2 billion is obligated? Obligated to what? Am I a member of this obligated 1.2 billion club? 552 projects in the works. Can you please list them , the dollar amount and weather they went out for bid or did the “state of emergency” recused the government from putting bids out to the public? Who got most of the money? Please don’t tell me it was an EDC company! Please! Are these companies that were awarded contracts liscesed, bonded, paying taxes and hiring locals?

    Flood insurance?? Government, insurance companies, or residents were/are the recipients of this money?
    Hazardous Mitagation ? For what? For whom ? What are mitagating?

    I hope our leaders have the answers and I wish our leaders had questioned administrators before they left their positions so we can have some answers.

    I am sitting here with my mouth opened wondering what’s gonna happen to me, these islands, and the future generations. God help us!

    • There is no indication it was recorded. The most generous interpretation is that this was an informal discussion to familiarize new senators with the basic facts and the Senate’s own release is highly fragmented, perhaps due to the complexity of the information overwhelming the person tasked with writing it up on short notice. The dollar figures are nearly useless but the fact the meeting happened and happened in a way that departs from usual practice is newsworthy, we feel. – Executive Editor Bill Kossler.

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