Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett released the following statement announcing a $75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the Virgin Islands Department of Education on St. Croix for the Alfredo Andrews Elementary School:
“I am very pleased to announce that FEMA has awarded a grant totaling $75,499,497.16 to the Virgin Islands Department to demolish and replace the Alfredo Andrews Elementary School that was damaged as a direct result of Hurricane Maria. This funding is authorized under Section 428 of the Robert T. Stafford Act. I secured provisions in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 to ensure that FEMA can make repairs and replace infrastructure in the Virgin Islands to incorporate resilient design and features, regardless of pre-disaster condition (the standard that otherwise applies), for the duration of the recovery from hurricanes Irma and Maria. This school will be built back not as it was before the storm but to current industry standards, incorporating the most resilient engineering and building techniques, allowing our community to better educate our young people and to continue our path towards preparedness and resiliency against natural disasters.
“This project marks another important step in our rebuilding. I am proud of the work being done in the Virgin Islands and would like to acknowledge the work done by Governor Bryan and his team at the Office of Disaster Recovery and the Virgin Islands Department of Education who have made the case to FEMA so we can take full advantage of the change in the law. I look forward to working with these offices to ensure the funds are fully utilized.”
