Premier Andrew Fahie has encouraged residents to keep their trust and faith in God as the territory continues to rebuild following the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria.
The Premier made the plea in a statement delivered on the four-year anniversary of the passage of Hurricane Irma on Monday September 6.
The Premier said, “While this experience was traumatising for us as a people, the fact is that during this difficult moment in time, the same events that shook our Faith strengthened our resolve. For through it all, and this still remains the same today, GOD is with us! During these times, we were reminded that we have strengths that we often forget, and that we are stronger together. The devastation challenged our Faith to keep trust in God that better days were ahead.”
He added, “Today, we continue to rebuild for the saying is true that it takes years to build a reputation and one second to destroy it. People of the Virgin Islands you did not let the hurricanes keep us down. Using what we had in our hands, just as our people have done for generations upon generations, we took charge of ensuring our recovery – and we have achieved significant progress.”
Continue to lift faith
Premier Fahie also asked residents to continue to pray for the territory’s safety during this 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which is forecasted to be one of the most active hurricane seasons to date.
“We will continue to maintain our position and we will continue to ensure that iron sharpens iron. Let us continue to lift our faith with the assurance in GOD that our tomorrows will continue to be better than our yesterdays,” he said.
He continued, “No matter what is thrown at us, you the GOD of our fore-parents whose prayers continue to saturate our lands, we pray that you keep us safe in this hurricane season, and that you bless us as we say, GOD is Great!”
Hurricane Irma delivered more than a billion dollars’ worth of damage to the territory, wiping out homes, personal possessions, livestock, businesses and ultimately severely impacting the BVI’s economy.