WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the extended power outage recently on St. John, Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (D- VIRGIN ISLANDS) is looking at additional ways to prevent and address another large-scale outage.
The congresswoman said the VI should look at what Puerto Rico has done to address outages following severe weather, like getting emergency declarations to obtain generators, get additional technical support, federal grants and even D-SNAP benefits, which provides temporary food assistance to low-income households affected by a disaster.
Residents on St. John aired their grievances to WAPA recently at a public town hall following a large-scale power outage. The Congresswoman said she understands the financial and emotional toll these outages have on businesses and families.
“I know there are plans and WAPA has plans to rebuild the entire system but that’s several years down the line,” said Del. Plaskett. “We need a system where reliability is not something that we aspire to, not something we live in.”
WAPA’S governing board held an emergency meeting on Friday.
