Premier: BVI Recovered From 2017 Hurricanes
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley told the House of Assembly the Virgin Islands has largely completed recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, supported by a post-Irma US$65 million Caribbean Development Bank loan. He said the government has now secured a US$100 million loan—the largest in BVI history—to tackle long-standing water, sewerage and road infrastructure issues alongside the Virgin Islands Energy & Water Corporation Bill, 2026.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley told the House of Assembly that the Virgin Islands has, by and large, recovered from the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. Using the US$65 million post‑Irma loan from the Caribbean Development Bank, the government has restored much of the territory’s critical public infrastructure, he said, with only a few recovery projects remaining. "We have a few projects left under the recovery but by and large, this administration has recovered the Virgin Islands from hurricanes Irma and Maria," Dr Wheatley said, noting schools, clinics and most government department buildings have been repaired and the administration building will be completed soon.
Building on that recovery, the Premier announced the government has secured a US$100 million loan—the largest borrowing in the territory’s history—to address long‑standing deficiencies in water, sewerage and roads. He said that without this financing the government would not have been able to sign the largest road contract ever awarded in the BVI: rehabilitation works stretching from the Road Town Ferry Terminal to the West End Ferry Terminal.
The Premier acknowledged ongoing public frustration over intermittent water supplies, sewage problems and pothole‑riddled roads. "Yes, we have a water problem. Yes, we have a sewage problem," he said, but insisted his administration is focused on practical solutions rather than political optics. "Others curse the darkness.
Our strategy is lighting a candle." Dr Wheatley also highlighted the Virgin Islands Energy & Water Corporation Bill, 2026—part of a package of statutory reforms designed to modernise utilities, improve service delivery and enable long‑term investment. He described the combination of hurricane recovery, major borrowing for infrastructure and statutory reform of utilities as a turning point for the territory.
The Premier credited Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer for persistence and determination in confronting deep‑rooted infrastructure problems despite funding constraints. For residents, the government says the immediate promise is visible: major road rehabilitation projects are now underway or contracted, and water and sewer works will proceed with the new financing.
As recovery moves into this new phase, officials say attention will shift from rebuilding to resilience and long‑term service improvement, with the goal of resolving chronic water and sewage challenges and reducing the frequency of disruptive road repairs. The announcements were made during Dr Wheatley’s address to the House of Assembly.
Primary source: BVI News