Safety, Business Continuity and Life on St. Croix Post-Hurricane Maria
Hurricane Maria grew fast, so fast it took some serious planning to get into gear and prepare. Once it became clear it was making its way for a direct hit on St. Croix – which was still recovering from close contact with Irma and flash flooding from Jose – we set our plan into motion.
Our first concern was getting our employees, their families and their pets to safety. Our second concern was ensuring that our business could continue to operate in the storm’s aftermath so our employees could continue receiving their pay checks and benefits. Cane Bay Partners executives were able to secure a last minute flight out of St. Croix and get employees and their loved ones to Atlanta.
Cane Bay Partners employees volunteer to greet fellow employees and other evacuees from St. Croix to Altanta.
Some employees, however, opted to stay behind. In the aftermath, it became clear it would be sometime before our downtown office was repaired and perhaps longer before the island’s infrastructure – including electricity, Internet connectivity, education and health care – could be at full capacity again. So, the company again was able to secure a private plane to bring most of the remaining employees, their families and pets. This time, the remaining seats were opened up to the government of the Virgin Islands to evacuate the sick, the elderly, pregnant women and others in need, as well as the community at large.
Cane Bay Partners employees volunteer to greet fellow employees and other evacuees from St. Croix to Altanta.
Cane Bay Partners employees volunteer to greet fellow employees and other evacuees from St. Croix to Altanta.
In total, the two plans took 230 people and dozens of animals off island and to Atlanta.
Cane Bay Partners employees volunteer to greet fellow employees and other evacuees from St. Croix to Altanta.
But it wasn’t enough to get people off island. St. Croix is our home, many of us our native home, so everyone became focused on what they could do to help, to get aid to those in need and to support the rebuilding process.
Cane Bay Partners Co-Founders David Johnson and Kirk Chewning launched Cane Bay Cares with the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands to assist St. Croix after Hurricane Maria.
So we founded Cane Bay Cares, a community-focused arm of Cane Bay Partners. And through it, we set up a St. Croix Hurricane Relief Drive with funds going directly to St. Croix through the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. We don’t feel obligated to do our part, we feel a deep desire and commitment to help rebuild the island and help the residents get back to normalcy as quickly as possible. And we’re asking for your support, whether that’s through a donation or through supporting this cause by encouraging others to get involved.
Cane Bay Cares is a service initiative of St. Croix-based Cane Bay Partners VI, LLLP. Cane Bay Cares was established after three strong hurricanes, including two Category 5 storms, Irma and Maria, caused much damage to St. Croix during September 2017. The initiative has a goal of providing relief to the citizens of St. Croix. To make this possible, we have partnered with St. Croix Foundation, which is a 501c3 nonprofit that was established in 1990. All donations to Cane Bay Cares are donations to St. Croix Foundation and are 100% tax deductible.
Cane Bay Partners VI, LLLP was formed in June 2009 and founded by internationally experienced business executives with many years of experience in the financial services industry. Focusing our efforts primarily in the financial services industry, our management consulting practice specializes in providing services to clients in need of sophisticated risk management models, debt collections organizations which require liquidation models and analytics, and portfolio management companies desiring a variety of services.
Since 1990, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development has been advancing holistic community development as a pathway to economic prosperity, self-sufficiency, and sustainability. Established in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, today the Foundation is one of the premier place-based philanthropic leaders in the Virgin Islands. Having served as the conduit of over $37 million private and public sector dollars invested into the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Foundation’s impact has netted national recognition in almost every priority area – from economic development and community revitalization to public health, education reform, and nonprofit development. Our mission is to encourage greater philanthropic activity, to marshal resources, and to act as a catalyst to benefit the people of the Virgin Islands.