ST. THOMAS, USVI –The Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority (VIHFA) announces its townhall meeting to receive public input for its Mitigation Action Plan on Thursday, June 11 at 4 p.m. via GoToMeeting.

The Authority has been allocated $774 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for disaster mitigation planning and projects through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-MIT). Mitigation activities lessen the impact of disasters by increasing resilience to current and future hazards. Before funds can be drawn down from HUD, the territory must submit a detailed plan of action based on input from residents that focus on mitigation activities.

The team working on the Action Plan must incorporate the opinions and perceptions of residents on what should be high priority items such as, communications, safety & security and food, water and shelter. The CDBG-MIT program is separate from the CDBG Disaster Recovery program currently in motion. It is the first of its kind for the territory from HUD since the initial congressional CDBG-Mitigation appropriation of $12 billion in February of 2018. The Virgin Islands received $774 million of the $12 billion.

These funds from HUD for mitigation provide another opportunity for the territory to assist areas impacted by the 2017 hurricanes to carry out strategic and high-impact projects to help save lives and reduce future losses to homes, businesses and critical facilities. While it is impossible to eliminate all risks, mitigation activities will help the territory decrease the physical and economic impact associated with natural disasters.

In addition to the virtual townhall meeting, the mitigation team has a survey in circulation collecting responses on residents’ opinions of priority items following a hurricane or declared natural disaster. The survey can be found on the VIHFA website at www.vihfa.gov.

Meeting Details:

CDBG- Mitigation Action Plan - Public Participation Townhall

Thu, Jun 11, 2020 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM (EDT)

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/246446077

You can also dial in using your phone.

United States: +1 (786) 535-3211

Access Code: 246-446-077