Acting Tourism Commissioner Michael Bornn has sent messages to leaders and officials of the Bahamas and Taiwan expressing encouragement and condolences.
Hurricane Floyd ran through the Bahamas last week, wreaking havoc on the islands close to Florida.
On Tuesday the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the country struck Taiwan, killing more than 1,800 people and leaving thousands more trapped in the rubble, missing or injured.
"As you know, the U.S. Virgin Islands has experienced and withstood several devastating storms in recent history. Through our experiences and knowledge of the strength of the people in the Bahamas, we know that your country will rebound quickly," Bornn wrote to the Bahamas' Prime Minister Hubert Alexander Ingrham and Minister of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool.
To Roberto Ming Cheng-Teh, the director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Coral Gables, Fla., Bornn wrote, "We offer our deepest sympathy to the families who lost loved ones in this disaster. As you desperately try to put the pieces together, I know the people of Taiwan have the courage and strength necessary to overcome the difficult circumstance resulting from this earthquake. Please remember that the thoughts and prayers of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands will be with you in the upcoming months as you begin the arduous task of recovery."