Lawmakers Question School Rebuild Resilience in Face of Stronger Storms and Hotter Temperatures

Seven years post-Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the USVI confronts dual challenges of constructing storm-proof schools and managing extreme heat, with full recovery still up to a decade away

Warmer earth temperatures are creating unprecedented challenges for the Caribbean region, as islands in the archipelago battle two extremes: stronger storms and hurricanes, and sweltering heat waves, both becoming increasingly regular. The effects are keenly understood here in the USVI, where seven years after the devastating impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the territory is still far from a complete recovery.

‌According to the V.I. Dept. of Education, it could take another seven to ten years for the rehabilitation and rebuilding of schools across both districts. But are the new, modern school designs built with hurricane resilience in mind? That was the line of questioning put to Education Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hedrington by Senator Franklin Johnson during a Committee of Disaster Recovery, Infrastructure, and Planning meeting on Monday.