President Donald J. Trump Signs Emergency Declaration for the U.S. Virgin Islands

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release:

FEMA announced that federal emergency aid has been made available to the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands to supplement territory and local response efforts to the emergency conditions in the area affected by Hurricane Dorian beginning on Aug. 26, 2019, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, to save lives, to protect property, public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures (Category B), limited to direct federal assistance under the Public Assistance program, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding. This assistance is for all islands in the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Seamus K. Leary has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal response operations in the affected area. Leary said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.