Governor DeJongh made good Thursday on a goal he says he set for himself before he was even elected to office — a way to help the territories be better prepared in the event of major disaster.
“What has always stood out for me was the impact on our community of Hurricane Hugo,” he told the small audience gathered at Government House for the signing of Bill 28-11. The legislation re-establishes the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency, or VITEMA, as its own cabinet-level agency. Prior to today, VITEMA had been under the Adjutant General of the Virgin Islands National Guard.
As part of the plan — designed to streamline the way emergency response is organized throughout the territories — the governor also announced he was nominating current VITEMA State Director Mark Walters to head up the agency in its new form.
Prior to being appointed to the agency last year, Walters was with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security where he was director of the Management Division for FEMA Region II, which covers the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, New Jersey and New York.
Thursday Walters said his experience with FEMA has given him the opportunity to see the difference in states that have placed a priority on emergency management and those that have not.
In its current form, he said, emergency management in the territories can be redundant and often confusing. Reorganization and restructuring was his priority. He said the first change will be seen in a few weeks when St. Croix gets a new 911 operation system. He said St. Thomas would soon follow.
“This will make VITEMA better prepared,” he said of the bill signing.
After the ceremony, Walters said the governor’s commitment to emergency response management was what encouraged him to stay on with the agency.
“When he expressed his vision to me, I was sold,” he said. “It’s the first time in my career that I’ve seen this level of commitment. I was sold.”