.
IMAGES SHOW DAMAGE FROM
HURRICANES IRMA EMERY A VERY
VISIBLE ON U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS.
MORE THAN A MONTH AFTER MARIA
MOVED THROUGH, THE ISLANDS ARE
STILL STRUGGLING TO RECOVER.
PETER WAS THE RECENTLY MAY
REMEMBER HE SENT US A REPORT
SHOWING THE TERRIBLE CONDITIONS
IN THE DAYS AFTER THE STORMS.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.
I FOLLOW YOU ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
YOU HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB
PUTTING THE SPOTLIGHT ON THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS.
NOW THAT YOU ARE HERE, FIRST OF
ALL, WELCOME, TELL US WHAT IS
THE SITUATION LIKE THERE?
IT IS STILL -- THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME -- STILL
ELECTRICITY STILL OUT, PHONE
SERVICE STILL BAD, TWO MONTHS
LATER.
FIRST MARIA, THEN IRMA AND NOW
IN THE REALITY THAT THE
PROGRESS ISN'T THERE.
OBVIOUSLY, I WOULD -- WE ARE
FEELING LIKE WIRE WE AMERICAN
THAT IS THE GENERAL SENTIMENT?
WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE
HAVE ELECTRICITY, RUNNING
WATER?
ELECTRICITY RIGHT NOW ABOUT
15%-20%.
RUNNING WATER, BRINGING BUCKETS
OF WATER AND CHOPPING WOOD TO
COOK.
IT IS -- WHAT I WILL SAY IS IT
IS INTERESTING THE RESILIENCY
OF OUR PEOPLE.
WE TOOK CARE OF EACH OTHER.
I SAY THAT AMERICA IS
ESSENTIALLY MISSING A MOSTLY
INSPIRING STORY OF HUMAN
RESILIENCE.
TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER.
AS YOU CAN TELL I AM EMOTIONAL
BECAUSE I AM HONEST, MY MOTHER
74, MY FATHER IS 80.
I DON'T KNOW WHY THE PROGRESS
IS STILL WHERE IT IS AT SPIN DO
YOU LIKE IT IS OVERSHADOWED BY
THE DEVASTATION OF PUERTO RICO
WHICH HAS HAD A BIG FOCUS IN
THE MEDIA?
OF COURSE.
WE ARE 40 MILES IN THE SHADOWS
OF PUERTO RICO.
A QUESTION THAT, I QUESTION --
WE LIVE IN AN AGE WHERE YOU ARE
NOT TRENDING YOU ARE NOT
RELEVANT.
UNDERSTAND PUERTO RICO, OUR
CULTURE INTERTWINED BUT IS THIS
FOR RATINGS?
WE ARE JUST BEING OVERSHADOWED.
WE KNOW THE GOVERNOR OF
PUERTO RICO HAS REQUESTED HELP
FROM THE GOVERNMENT COME THE
GOVERNOR VIRGIN ISLANDS HAS
REQUESTED $5.5 BILLION FROM
CONGRESS TO HELP THE ISLANDS
RECOVER.
ARE THEY GETTING THAT MONEY?
IS THERE ANY SIGN HELP HAS
BEGUN TO ARRIVE?
US.
HOPE WE GET IT.
LIKE I SAID I AM NOT -- I DON'T
WANT TO BECOME A POLITICAL TOOL
BUT THE PRESIDENT IS TWEETING.
I HOPE WE GET IT.
I HOPE THIS SHEDS A LIGHT ON US
BEYOND BEING CARICATURES.
WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO TO HELP THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS?
MY WIFE IS FROM PUERTO RICO, IT
TOOK HER WEEKS JUST TO GET A
GENERATOR TO HER FAMILY.
WHAT CAN PEOPLE HERE DO TO HELP
THE FOLKS?
THE RELIEF FUND, THE
CARIBBEAN RELIEF PROJECT,
TRYING TO GET GOODS DOWN THERE
I THINK THEY WILL SEND 30 TO 50
CONTAINERS DOWN THERE.
JUST REMEMBER WE ARE HUMAN.
FORGET BIPARTISAN, COLOR
ISSUES, POLITICS AND UNDERSTAND
THIS IS A HUMAN STORY AND WE
ARE AMERICANS TOO.
YOU DEPEND A LOT ON TOURISM
DOLLARS AND WITHOUT
INFRASTRUCTURE, WITHOUT POWER,
RUNNING WATER, PEOPLE WILL NOT
BE BOOKING VACATIONS.
THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
OUR ECONOMY HAS NOT BEEN
DIVERSIFIED.
80% OF OUR REVENUE COMES FROM
TOURISM.
THE ECONOMY IS ALREADY ON THE
VERGE OF COLLAPSE.
ABOUT 50,000 KIDS FROM LOCAL
HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE LEFT.
WE ARE VERY SCARED THAT OUR
POPULATION, THE JOB --
DEVELOPERS, PEOPLE GIVE OF
THEIR PROPERTY AND HOMES SO WE
REALLY WOULD LOVE TO FOCUS ON
BUSINESSES AND LOCAL
ENTREPRENEURS GETTING GRANTS TO
BASICALLY KEEP THEIR BUSINESSES
GOING.
WE ARE OUT OF TIME BUT YOUR
HEAVILY IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY FOR PEOPLE
TO FOLLOW YOU?