March 7, 2020

Office of Disaster Recovery to Launch New TV Show in March

U.S. Virgin Islands — The Office of Disaster Recovery (ODR), in collaboration with the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (VIHFA) and WTJX-TV Channel 12 (WTJX), is proud to announce the launch of new television programming to provide the public with the most up to date information on the Territory’s progress towards recovery.

The new program, Recovery in Focus, premieres at 8 p.m., Thursday, March 12, on WTJX Channel 12. This 30-minute television production hosted by Emmanuella Perez-Cassius was created to provide viewers with the most recent developments in ODR’s five priority areas; hospitals, schools, roads, housing, and power, as well as other critical projects that impact the daily lives of residents. A new episode of Recovery in Focus will air on the last Thursday of every month starting April 30.

“Transparency builds trust, and we want our fellow Virgin Islanders to know the status and progress of critical recovery projects,” ODR Director Adrienne L. Williams-Octalien. “These updates should be practical and consistent, Recovery in Focus embarks on fulfilling that need.”

The inaugural show will take an in-depth look at the EnVIsion Tomorrow Program with featured guests VIHFA Executive Director Daryl Griffith, Rental Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation Manager, Erainee Acosta, and Sherry-Ann Francis, Manager of the Homeowner Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program.

“We’re happy to have the first show on Recovery in Focus feature the EnVIsion Tomorrow Homeowner and Rental Rehabilitation and Reconstruction program,” said Director Griffith. “EnVIsion Tomorrow is one of several major disaster recovery projects that is being financed by Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery. CDBG-DR funds are being used for projects throughout the Territory in Housing, Infrastructure, and Economic Revitalization.”

WTJX will also share the broadcast online, on its social media accounts and on the PBS app, which can be viewed via TV streaming devices such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick, etc., as well as on smart devices.

“WTJX stands with our viewers who need accurate and dependable news and status updates about the details of our recovery,” stated WTJX’s CEO, Tanya-Marie Singh. “Our residents are exhausted by the pace and bureaucracy of our recovery, and it is our hope that this show helps people manage their expectations as well as get information that is useful in their efforts to achieve some type of normalcy.”

Log on to www.usviodr.com and follow the ODR on social media, Facebook @ODRUSVI, Twitter @USVIODR, and Instagram @USVIOFFICEOFDISASTERRECOVERY for regular funding reports, procurement notifications, recovery-related employment opportunities, and other news.

From left to right: Sherry-Ann Francis, ODR Director Adrienne L. Williams-Octalien, Emmanuella Perez-Cassius, VIHFA Executive Director Daryl Griffith, and Erainee Acosta

Office of Disaster Recovery
“Building a Legacy of Resilience”

Established within the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority, the V.I. Office of Disaster Recovery serves as the center of coordination for the anticipated $8 billion of federal funding over the next few years to support recovery efforts from the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria.