ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands - The Virgin Islands National Guard and Virgin Islands Police Department worked side by side to help deal with traffic control on St. Thomas and St. John, after both islands were hit by Category 5 Hurricane Irma, which left the islands devastated.
Fort Milner, Raphune Hill, Nisky Center, and Mandella Circle were the four traffic point areas set up on St. Thomas, and Cruz Bay Clinic, Starfish, and Western Union were the three points on St. John.
“We are here to support the VIPD with security, and I feel like we are working well together as a team,” said 2nd Lt. Basil Williams, the officer in charge of security and the Quick Response Force.
VING and VIPD are trying to enforce the curfew and make sure citizens are off the roads before 6 p.m. They also want to be sure that everyone is being safe on the roads until traffic lights are put back up.
“We are working very well together as a team,” said Luis Casanova, a Special Operations Bureau officer from the VIPD. “I enjoyed working with Guard members, because I too once wore that uniform."
“For me it was a great experience working with the officers in St. John," said Pfc. Kyjuan Naughton, a military police from the 661st Military Police Detachment. “They made sure we were taken care of and even gave us a few pointers."
The 50 plus team work shifts and do rotations throughout the day on both St. Thomas and St. John to ensure the safety of the Virgin Islands community.