St. Thomas always in my heart
It’s been weeks since Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastates the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, but it is still a part of my thoughts daily. I feel helpless, especially for my family who is disconnected. I have a great uncle and other family members that live in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
St. Thomas isn’t underwater like Puerto Rico, to my knowledge, but there are still a lot of problems with water, food, housing and electricity. I say to my knowledge because there have been very few images coming from the U.S. Virgin Islands. We have seen more from Puerto Rico, which is about 40 miles west of St. Thomas. It is said that you can see the opposing island on a clear day.
Heck, the distance between the two is less than the distance I drive to get to the airport when I need to fly from Charlotte.
Helping family
My first care package will go out this weekend. It will have canned food, bug spray or Avon’s Skin So Soft, if I can find a local seller, and batteries. One cousin mailed lanterns, flashlights and batteries. Another mailed toiletries. We are also looking for battery operated fans. I didn’t even know they existed.
St. Thomas: Around the island
I grew up hearing about St. Thomas. It was sort of an enchanted place and somewhere I desperately wanted to visit and get to know. It’s still a place I want to become more connected to in time.
I hope to one day to spend more time in St. Thomas. I didn’t want to leave two years ago and think often about how can I get back to stay longer than five days. It’s one of my biggest hopes.