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Since last Tuesday, I have been closely monitoring the work of several of our Virgin Islands government agencies that have been investigating the causes and origin of the foul odors that have permeated the air over St. Croix.
These odors have not only been a nuisance, but have disrupted life on St. Croix for many of our residents, including a number of our school children, sending many to doctors and to the emergency room for symptoms ranging from nausea to itchy throats and irritated eyes.
Needless to say, the health and safety of our people is our highest priority and the motivation for all who have worked diligently on this problem.
We have worked hard at developing a coordinated government approach in responding to emergency situations such as this. And so, I am pleased that our various government agencies dealing with this recent situation have worked well together and are sharing information as we continue to monitor this event.
The causes of the odors that filled the air west of the south shore industrial zone on Friday and Saturday of last week and again on Monday of this week have been determined.
Our response teams, augmented by specialized cadres from the Virgin Islands National Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, continue their efforts to identify what also caused the foul odors for three days earlier last week. While I am proud of the work that has been done by these public servants, I also want to commend the residents of St. Croix for their patience. I am confident that we will soon get to the bottom of what has caused these various odors and has led to disruptions in many of our people’s day to day lives.
The relevant regulatory agencies will take appropriate actions if and when they determine that any environmental violations have occurred. We will continue to provide updates to the community.
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