Virgin Islands representatives (from left) Emergency Communications Manager at the Department of Disaster Management, Jasen Penn; Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer, Natalie O. Hodge; Acting Deputy Director of Project Implementation and Operations with the Ministry of Finance, Ellsworth Phillip; and Director of Projects with the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Drexel Glasgow are pictured at the National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photo: Provided

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, USA - A delegation from the Virgin Islands (VI) is sharing the Territory's compelling post-hurricane recovery story at the National Hurricane Conference (NHC) this week in New Orleans, Louisiana.

According to a press release from the Government Information Centre, the delegation includes Director of Projects with the Ministry of Finance Dr Drexel Glasgow, Acting Deputy Director, Public Works Department Ellsworth Phillip, Emergency Communications Manager at the Department of Disaster Management Jasen Penn, and Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer Natalie O. Hodge.

Dr Glasgow gave a presentation on hurricane recovery based on the lessons learned after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. He shared how the Territory's Comprehensive Disaster Management plan was implemented and how the document guides the ongoing recovery process.

DDM Director, Ms Sharleen DaBreo, MBE said conferences like the NHC are an important opportunity to share what has been learned with the international community.

“The Territory should embrace these opportunities because we have an important story to tell,” Ms DaBreo said. “As we recover from these events, we must use these opportunities to tell others about our recovery efforts and the strength of our Disaster Management Programme. It is for this reason that we are seizing these opportunities to present how we are building resiliency and using the lessons learned from the past.”

The National Hurricane Conference also provides an opportunity for the BVI to collaborate with international partners. This conference will see several one-to-one meetings including Mr Penn's meeting with Colorado State University Department of Atmospheric Science Researcher Phil Klotzbach, the lead author of the university's annual Atlantic Basic Hurricane Forecasts, as well as with forecasters from around the world who pay a role in guiding preparations for the annual hurricane seasons.

The conference brings together 2,000 representatives from around the United States as well as Caribbean and Pacific island states for training and exchange of ideas and best practices related to hurricane preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery.

The participation of the delegates from the Virgin Islands was funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).