Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Good emerging from the horrors of Hurricane Irma at Island Services

Good emerging from the horrors of Hurricane Irma at Island Services

When Hurricane Irma made landfall on the Virgin Islands on September 6, 2017, the trajectory of the territory changed forever.

Five years later, some businesses are still recovering from the impact including Island Services – an office supplies store in Road Town. But the road to recovery has seen the business transformed, according to its owner.

BVI News spoke with Nelda Farrington, owner of the establishment, who described the recovery process as a long and complicated but one from which her store has grown.

Farrington indicated that her store received hurricane damage such as a weakened roof. However, a few weeks later, she said, Hurricane Maria came and took a portion of the roof off and damaged everything in the store.

“At that time, we had carpets, so everything had to basically come out and then we had to restart from scratch. All the shelving, all the flooring and we stocked the store with merchandise. It was a challenge. The team was so magnificent that everyone pulled together, and we all did what we had to do. There were times when we had to come back after the roof was first fixed without having any merchandise in the store and we were operating with flashlights because some people needed some bits and pieces. So, we were going around trying to salvage what we could with flashlights because people could obtain the product they needed. But looking back, we all grew from it, and we are stronger today,” Farrington said.

Just not the same


She believed the business is still on its road to recovery because a lot of people of the territory were displaced from work and did not have the resources to shop. She noted people are gradually coming back and things are slowly getting better but the situation for her store is not the same as it was prior to Irma.

Nonetheless, Farrington said she is fully prepared for another hurricane as, during the rebuilding process, she ensured the building is fortified against natural disasters.

“What we have done is we have reinforced the roof. We have made it much stronger. The building is much stronger now. We have impact glasses and so forth on all the windows that are exposed – the exterior windows. We have put tiles instead of carpet in the event of something we do not have to remove. Internally, if a storm is coming, of course, we will barricade outside but cover most of the merchandise as much as we can with tarps and while we had covered some, we did not expect most of the store to be affected then the mould set it after. So, it is covering everything and the best we can do is to have a stronger building and a stronger roof which we have done,” she explained.

A good thing emerging from the horrors


It is often said that out of every bad situation there is a positive side, even if you cannot see it. However, Farrington has seen the positive side emerging from the horrors of Irma.

“We have a better store now. The store is better, and we tried to create a nice environment so when the customers come in the store it’s fun and we have a nice mix of products. And the way that it is layout is much different. So, I think as a result we have a much better store. It is a more inviting store for our customers today,” she told BVI News.

Meanwhile, she said she was proud of the overall recovery process of the territory five years later despite the limited resources.

“I see that there is steady progress, and I am grateful. Of course, if the resources were there, we would have seen progress faster but it is coming. We can’t spend and do without resources but I’m glad the school is being repaired and the admin building is now being repaired and some of the outer islands, you know the little spots you go to on the weekend, some of those are coming back and some are already back so it’s been slower than we had hoped but we have to look at resources available to us,” Farrington said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Flip flop: UK Introduces New Immigration Policy to Reduce Net Migration
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Poland Tightens Immigration Policy with New Plan to Suspend Asylum Law
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
8-Year-Old Orders 70,000 Lollipops Using Mother’s Phone, Prompting $4,200 Amazon Bill and Viral Facebook Plea
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
American citizens account for 70% of worldwide pharmaceutical sales despite comprising only 4% of global population
New Details Emerge on Syrian Attacker's Motives in German Festival Stabbing
Brazil’s President Aims to Strengthen Ties with China Amid US Trade Tensions
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
First White South Africans Resettled in the U.S. Amid Controversy Over Persecution Claims
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
India and Pakistan Agreement on Ceasefire Amid Ongoing Tensions
Arsenal Stages Comeback to Draw 2-2 Against Liverpool in Premier League Clash
Trump's Upcoming Visit to Gulf Nations: Investment and Security at the Forefront
Rodrigo Duterte Awaits Trial at The Hague. Next week he might be elected mayor of his hometown
Trump fires director of U.S. Copyright Office, sources say
Retired British police officer arrested over ‘thought crime’ tweet
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Facility Amid Congressional Visit
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
Huge Copper, Gold, and Silver Discovery in Argentina and Chile — But the Profits Go Abroad
Prince Harry is pleading for reconciliation — but the royals are just as sick of his victimhood as everyone else
The Road to Freedom: She Protested Putin, Escaped House Arrest, and Survived a 2,800-Kilometer Journey
OpenAI's Flip-Flop: No Longer Going Commercial, Back to Nonprofit, After Musk Lawsuit and Backlash
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
First From China: Zhao Xintong Wins the Snooker World Championship
Nvidia Faces Billion-Dollar Losses – Warns: China Is on Its Way to Becoming an AI Superpower
Trump Rules Out Third Term, Names JD Vance and Marco Rubio as Potential Successors
Mexico Says ‘No’ to U.S. Troops: President Sheinbaum Rejects Trump’s Offer to Fight Cartels
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Storms the Map, Wrecking the Two-Party Monopoly
DOGE: Reimagining Government Operations with AI
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
U.K. Court Rejects Prince Harry’s Final Appeal Over Police Security
Prince Harry’s Heartfelt Outburst Rocks the Royal Family
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Transgender Swimmer Secures Five Gold Medals at U.S. Masters Championship
Prince Harry: “I Want Reconciliation with My Family”
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Reform UK Surprises in British Elections, Challenging Traditional Two-Party System
180-Year-Old Christian University in South Carolina Announces Closure Due to Unmet $6 Million Fundraising Goal
Brazilian Woman Jailed for Fourteen Years for Writing “You Lost, Idiot” on Statue During Protest
×