USVI Hurricane Irma/Maria Recovery – St Thomas and St John
We spent all of last week proving that #StCroixIsOpen. That despite being hit by Hurricane Maria 100+ days ago, our home island has rebounded beautifully. Right now, in fact, STX is more ready to welcome visitors in more ways than some might previously have thought. USVI Hurricane Irma/Maria recovery efforts there are proceeding nicely.
That’s all great, of course, but it also begs a question:
What about the other US Virgin Islands?
St Thomas and St John were impacted much more severely by last year’s Hurricane Season than St Croix. The two sustained direct hits from Hurricane Irma in early-September. They also both suffered a glancing blow from Maria just two weeks later.
How are USVI Hurricane Irma/Maria recovery efforts proceeding there? Should you plan to visit St Thomas and St John this winter?
Sadly, we didn’t have time to jump over to the other US Virgin Islands during our December adventuring around St Croix. We hope to remedy that and share the same kind of insights we published about St Croix soon, though.
In the meantime, here are a few links offering some answers…
The Washington Post
Just ahead of our trip back to St. Croix, I had the chance to help old friend and ace travel writer, Andrea Sachs, put together her own fact-finding visit to all three US Virgin Islands. Her resulting story provides about as solid and balanced an account on what visitors to the Territory can expect as any I’ve seen.
UPROXX
Another great account of the resilient spirit alive right now throughout the US Virgin Islands, this feature by Denver Nicks is a must-read for anyone who loves the USVI, especially St Thomas.
Hotel Updates
The USVI Department of Tourism maintains a handy reference on the state of hotels across the entire Territory here.
Travel Weekly
Johanna Jainchill, also visited St Thomas (and Puerto Rico) last month. Check out her story for a rundown on St Thomas hotels and one of our favorite beach bars, Iggies.
Steve Simonsen
Seeing is believing, right? If you really want to see how things are progressing in St John, then you’ll want to follow UC fan/pro photographer Steve Simonsen’s Facebook feed. Despite losing his home to Hurricane Irma, Steve regularly shares new pics showcasing St John’s resiliency.
Know of any other writers, bloggers, or photographers sharing updates on St Thomas and/or St John? Let us know in the comments section below so that we can check them out…
*Photo credit: Steve Simonsen.
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