ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands – The U.S. Virgin Islands has a rich cultural heritage, with museums, archives, libraries, archeological sites, and historic districts across the territory. Many of these precious cultural resources sustained serious damage during hurricanes Irma and Maria – and time could be of the essence in making repairs and saving historical documents and artwork.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wants cultural organizations to know that recovery help may be available from a variety of sources. To take advantage of the full range of assistance that may be available, it’s important that these organizations submit a Request for Public Assistance (RPA) with the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) before the Dec. 29 deadline.
To learn more about eligible essential and critical service providers and private nonprofit eligibility, refer to the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide on the FEMA website at https://www.fema.gov/public-assistance-policy-and-guidance
Potential applicants must submit the following documents:
- The RPA form at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/10145
- Private Nonprofit Facility Questionnaire at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/10579
- IRS letter of 501 (c), (d) or (e) tax exemption or documentation from the territory that certifies that the organization is a non-profit, non-revenue producing entity
- Organizational charter or by-laws
- If an educational institution, please include accreditation or certification documentation
All documentation must be provided to the territorial government contacts below before the Dec. 29 deadline.
St. Croix: | St. Thomas/St. John: |
Malinda K. Vigilant-Messer Deputy Public Assistance Officer Office: 340-712-0335 | Renata Christian-West Territorial Public Assistance Officer Office: 340-774-2244 |
###
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS - Video Relay Service) (TTY: 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Following major disasters, the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the primary source of Federal funds for long-term recovery assistance. This assistance is in the form of
low-interest loans and is available to non-farm businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, as well as homeowners and renters with property damaged by the disaster.
For official information on the recovery effort following the hurricanes, please visit www.informusvi.com or www.usviupdate.com. Follow us on social media at twitter.com/femaregion2 and www.facebook.com/FEMAUSVirginIslands.
To donate or volunteer, contact the voluntary or charitable organization of your choice through the National Voluntary Agencies Active in Disasters (NVOAD) at www.nvoad.org. For those who wish to help, cash donations offer voluntary agencies the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources and pumps money into the local economy to help businesses recover. The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands also has the “Fund for the Virgin Islands” at www.USVIrecovery.org.