British Virgin Islands Extends Post-Hurricane Cleanup

The British Virgin Islands (B.V.I.) government and private-sector tourism entities are partnering to complete the territory’s recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria last fall with a debris clearance project.

The B.V.I’s Recovery and Development Agency, or RDA, and the Department of Waste Management, or DWM, will expand their existing clearance project to the islands of Anegada and Virgin Gorda, both popular destinations for international visitors to the territory.

A statement announcing of the project was included in a Facebook post by Sharon Flax-Brutus, the B.V.I.’s director of tourism.

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The ongoing clearance project’s expansion will extend through August 29 and is being funded through an $84,000 joint contribution by Unite BVI, a nonprofit foundation, and The Bitter End Yacht Club, a B.V.I. luxury resort accessible only by water. The extension comes weeks after the commencement of debris clearance projects on Tortola and Jost Van Dyke.

The project is intended to address the clearing of leftover hurricane debris on Anegada and clearing the existing dumpsite and derelict vehicles on Virgin Gorda, according to the statement. Additional funding will support the resuscitation of tourist attractions on Tortola, another highly popular island that also is a top cruise ship port of call.

On Anegada, clearance work will include bulky waste for disposal, the clearing of debris left across the island and reorganization of the current dumpsite. On Virgin Gorda, work will include clearance of the existing hurricane debris dumpsite, with debris removed from the territory by barge. Derelict vehicles will also be removed from the temporary dumpsite and “available resources” will be utilized to remove cars and debris around the island.

“The work that both our government agencies and the RDA are doing speaks to our commitment to the rejuvenation of a world-class product,” Flax-Brutus told TravelPulse Wednesday. “Our yachting sector will return to full capacity by the first quarter and we are concentrating our land-side tourism on our villa as well as small property sector,” she said.

“We are in the process now of conducting an assessment of land-based accommodations in terms of what will be ready for a festive season [in] 2018/2019,” she added.

The B.V.I. is also dealing with the aftermath of extensive flooding in Tortola and several other areas of the Territory during the first week of August. Heavy and steady precipitation from the tropical wave caused flooding in low lying areas as well as damage to streets and sporadic landslides, said officials in a statement.

“Several properties that reported damage were able to remedy their situations immediately after the weather subsided and the majority of our land-based accommodations and yacht charter businesses are up and running,” said Flax-Brutus.

“The resilience of the Virgin Islands community has been on full display, as residents engage in the cleanup efforts in their neighborhoods and properties while the government disbursed teams and BVI Electricity restored power," she added.

Meanwhile, The Bitter End Yacht Club is rebuilding, according to reports. Located in the territory’s North Sound region, which suffered a direct hit from Irma, the resort is expected to complete a partial reopening in 2019.

More than 60 workers are currently salvaging reusable material, dismantling structures and clearing remaining debris, according to the resort’s blog. The resort’s operators say they will have to remove an estimated 3,000 tons of debris from the property’s 64 acres and rebuild “nearly 70 shattered buildings.