- Dozens of volunteers were repairing homes in Vista Gorda on Virgin Gorda
- One home’s roof took five weeks to complete
- Carrot Bay Adventist Church was badly damaged by storm surge
- Road Town Adventist Church lost its first floor
Adventist volunteers were still rebuilding homes and churches in the British Virgin Islands months after the 2017 hurricanes, Inter-American Division News reported in March 2018.
Dozens of volunteers had taken part in reconstruction, including replacing roofs on homes in Vista Gorda on Virgin Gorda. One home’s roof took five weeks to complete. Building materials were sourced by a private donor from the Czech Republic, and the local government supplied gloves, saws, extension cords and tools.
Church buildings were also badly hit. Carrot Bay Adventist Church was severely damaged by storm surge, and the first floor of Road Town Adventist Church had to be demolished. The BVI Adventist School, which serves more than 300 primary and secondary students, was severely damaged. The church has nine congregations in the British Virgin Islands, led by three pastors, and nine on St Maarten, where the Philipsburg Adventist Church set aside $30,000 to help members.
“The Seventh-day Adventist Church believes that preaching the Good News must be accompanied with good deeds, so the community must be impacted by the church,” said Henry Peters, community services director. District pastor Sylvester Williams said: “A life touched by God always ends in touching others.”
The report shows how slow recovery can be on small islands. Materials must be shipped in, skilled labour is scarce, and churches must repair their own buildings and schools while helping members with their homes.
Jamaica knows these pressures well. For churches and homeowners, the most useful preparation is before a storm: sound roof fixings, adequate insurance and a plan for sourcing materials. After a disaster, volunteer teams can speed up rebuilding, but only where there are materials, tools and a clear list of priorities.
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