**this is the continuing story of the affect Hurricane Irma ( and Hurricane Maria) had on St. John, September 2017
Everyone on St John was doing their best to try to help themselves and others after Hurricane Irma tore their world apart. But supplies were needed and the US Navy and Marines had not arrived yet. Enter Kenny Chesney, the famous country singer, who owned a private vacation home on St. John.
He was off island at the time of the hurricane but let 17 people plus several young children and 10 dogs hide out in his home during the storm. He thought it was a safe place since it was a stone, brick and mortar home with 200 mph wind-tested windows. Once he was able to have contact the next day after the hurricane, he found out that the windows had blown out from the 185 mph winds and everyone had hid in a large storage closet. When his friends had told him of the devastation of the island, he was instantly hands-on. He created a team of people to establish Love for Love City Foundation (St. John is also known as “Love City”) to bring supplies even before anyone else had arrived bringing supplies of food, water, emergency supplies, chainsaws, generators, batteries, flashlights, and even dog food🥰.
Since they were a private group, they were able to enter the territory before the airport and ports opened commercially and did not have to go through any red tape while waiting for approval to dispense funds/equipment. They initially flew a 50 passenger plane down stocked with generators, Internet equipment, fuel and cleanup equipment to St. Croix (which had not been hit directly by hurricane Irma and had an open airport) and then took a private helicopter to St John to deliver the supplies.
Next, enters the U.S. Navy and Marines a couple of days later, first arriving on St Thomas and then helicopters over to St John. The USS Wasp was first since it was the closest out on the water after the hurricane and then the USS Kearsarge and USS Oak Hill formed a sea base with helicopters coming and going off their decks. They worked with FEMA, the National Guard and local officials in the recovery effort distributing emergency rations, water and essential supplies and security. Even the Royal Caribbean Cruise and Norwegian Cruise lines sent cruise ships to help with evacuating those on St Thomas with medical conditions or people who could not get off island by air.
For the next days, the Love for Love City team used private jets, helicopters, charter boats, and fishing boats bringing supplies. And even private boats from St. Croix donated time and fuel. The Love for Love City team (along with locals) cleaned roads, cleaned up the town of Cruz Bay, the beaches, several private schools and made their way to Coral Bay to make a difference there also. They had partnered with Tom Secunda, cofounder of Bloomberg , and arranged a John Hopkins Go Team to restock clinics with medical supplies and to assist people on Jost Van Dyke in the BVI with their cleanup efforts. Jost had equally been destroyed by Irma.
Then just as it seemed the island was establishing a good recovery program, Hurricane Maria was brewing in the Caribbean and said to hit St John on September 19. Just 12 days after Irma!!!! It was developing into a major hurricane so people had to rush to try to board up their homes again, many didn’t even have a roof😰
Evacuations were starting right away for those who just could not ride out another hurricane. People would sit on the dock from 7 AM to 6 PM waiting for a possible boat.
Daughter, Cortney, decided to stay on island and help ready for oncoming Hurricane Maria despite my pleas she come home to the States. St. John had become her home and she did not want to leave.
My daughter, Michelle, was one of those who had to leave. She needed to get her remaining sandal stock off island ( her livelihood since the restaurant she co-managed was destroyed) and was lucky to be one of the 300 privately flown off the island by Kenny Chesney. The plan was to get her stock off island and then return when things were more secure and businesses reopened.
I am forever indebted to Kenny Chesney for helping to get Michelle off island because I’m sure without him establishing his Love for Love City team she would not have had a chance to get a plane off island🥰
***Next week, Hurricane Maria and what happened next…
Traveling Rose in St. John 