Bryan Declares State of Emergency on Sargassum as Problem Becomes Acute on St. Croix; FEMA Teams Expected in USVI to Assist With Local Response

Government House announced Sunday that Governor Albert Bryan has issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in the territory to mitigate the impact from the unusually high amounts of sargassum seaweed piling up on USVI shores and having a negative impact on water-production capabilities on St. Croix.

Mr. Bryan also has sent a request to the Biden Administration to declare a federal emergency on St. Croix regarding the sargassum inundation, Government House said, and teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are expected to be on the ground in the territory today to assist the government of the Virgin Islands in coordinating a response.

According to the administration, because of the sargassum build-up, maintenance efforts have increased to keep the water intake for the desalinization plant on St. Croix clear from seaweed and biological debris resulting from the ecosystems associated with large sargassum blooms. In addition, reduced water production could also create a negative effect on the V.I. Water and Power Authority’s power-generating capacity.

Government House said that while there currently are no negative impacts regarding public health resulting from the sargassum build-up, Mr. Bryan is advising residents of St. Croix to conserve water as the GVI takes steps to resolve the issues caused by the seaweed.

“I want to assure St. Croix that we don’t anticipate any impact on public health from this annual invasion of sargassum in our waters, including the stench that we all, unfortunately, have learned to live with every summer,” the governor said. “However, the seaweed overrunning our beaches also brings the potential for disruption to businesses and other negative financial impacts to our economy. I have assembled a team that includes primary public agencies, including Health, DPNR and VITEMA, and the semiautonomous agencies that have been meeting to coordinate efforts with FEMA and other federal partners.”