As System Develops off African Coast, Agencies Drill on How to Handle the Real Thing

While the U.S. Gulf Coast braced for Hurricane Ida and meteorologists turned their attention to a developing tropical wave off the coast of Africa, here in the U.S. Virgin Islands emergency responders were practicing how to open and run a shelter during a pandemic, in case the real thing happens here.

The test was conducted by the Department of Human Services and the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency through the support of FEMA, according to a news release issued Monday by the federal agency.

In the scenario of the test, wind and rain swirled as a Category 2 hurricane approached St. Croix – a make-believe storm belied by the day’s bright sun in the blue sky. “Evacuees” climbed out of the Virgin Islands Transit bus and approached the D.C. Canegata Recreation Center to seek shelter from the storm. Many of the evacuees were exhausted, with loved ones left behind.

About 10 evacuees approached the entrance to the recreation center and urged the Virgin Islands National Guard soldiers to let them into the shelter as the storm approached. One woman expressed worry about her husband’s whereabouts, another woman raised concerns about being in a shelter with COVID-19 cases surging on the island, and a man asked for food and water.

The Guard’s soldiers, a Virgin Islands Police Department officer, representatives from the Virgin Islands Department of Human Services and American Red Cross reassured the evacuees. The men and women were pre-screened, given COVID-19 tests, had their temperatures checked, and were processed into the shelter.

Inside, shelter workers announced protocols and said lights would go out at 10 p.m. If it had been a real emergency, all would have been well.

The evacuees were volunteers from the Virgin Islands Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and the storm, as noted, wasn’t real. But the results of the drill could be of real consequence if a disaster does approach, officials said.

Human Services Commissioner Kimberley Causey-Gomez said she appreciated the many participants who supported the shelter exercise. Mass Care operations take a whole community effort, she said.

“Our way of life has completely changed since the pandemic, and this includes our disaster preparedness and planning efforts for our Virgin Islands community. Our public message since the 2020 season has been to shelter-in-place with the support from your friends, family, neighbors, and faith-based organizations,” Causey-Gomez said in the FEMA news release. “It is equally important for DHS to be prepared through our Mass Care requirements to have a safe evacuation shelter to be used, hopefully as a last resort to our residents. We understand not everyone is able to shelter in place, and this training and exercise helped us to continually work together as a team to provide safety and security to you when you need it the most.”