Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources has announced the official launch of the Hurricanes Irma and Maria Disaster Recovery Program funded by the Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office (VISHPO) Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF), with support from the National Park Service.
Funding for this program will allow the Historic Preservation Office to administer a Historic Recovery Grant Program to assist in the repair of hurricane-damaged National Register-listed or eligible sites throughout the territory. Through the Historic Preservation Fund, over $5 million will go towards the restoration of 2017 hurricane-damaged historic resources. All funded repair work must substantially repair hurricane damages and can also include steps to mitigate future damages.
“In keeping with the Bryan-Roach Administration’s commitment to the people of the Virgin Islands towards rebuilding our communities, DPNR is providing this unprecedented opportunity for owners of impacted historic resources that were occupied and damaged from the hurricanes to apply for funding for repairs and recovery projects,” Commissioner Oriol said.
The Hurricane Disaster Recovery Program will be divided into two steps:
Step 1. Eligibility: complete information questionnaire about the historic property to DPNR-VISHPO to verify if a property is eligible to receive grant funds, and
Step 2. Application: submit application for funding following a determination of eligibility in Step 1.
For the public’s convenience, applications for Step 1 can be accessed at www.dpnr.vi.gov/vi-state-historic-preservation. For any additional information, send an email to historic.recovery@dpnr.vi.gov.