Mapp Ends Virgin Islands Curfew, Issues $3 Million In Tax Refunds; DSNAP To Rollout Mid-November
Stating that he was not a fan of “arresting the civil liberties of free citizens,” Governor Kenneth Mapp during his hurricane recovery press briefing on Monday, ended the territory-wide curfew. The move comes nearly two months after Hurricane Irma devastated St. Thomas, and more than 6 weeks following Hurricane Maria’s ravaging of St. Croix. And it comes as the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) continues to make progress in power restoration — 38 percent of St. Thomas has been restored, 19 percent of St. Croix and 14 percent of St. John. But with most of the territory’s main thoroughfares still dark, and all but two traffic lights on St. Croix operable as of Monday, Mr. urged residents to be careful.
“One step closer to recovery and there is no curfew that will be in effect this evening, giving free rein to the community to move as you deem appropriate — I simply ask that you be careful on the roadway. We have much work to do,” Mr. Mapp said as he ended the restriction.
The governor announced that his administration delivered $3 million worth of tax refund checks in the mail on Monday, an announcement that will come as welcomed news to many.
Mr. Mapp told The Consortium that the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) would see a rollout between November 12-17. He said a press release would be issued sometime this week to inform residents about the requirements for qualification.
Read more: http://viconsortium.com/featured/mapp-ends-curfew-issues-3-million-in-tax-refunds-dsnap-to-rollout-mid-november/