Update from Vieques

Thom Denton from the Bravos Boyz posed this on Facebook, and I thought it would be good for you to also take a look at what I can only describe as encouraging news from within Vieques.

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“Another very helpful update from Vieques.

“Alvin Lee Gsmd gave an excellent and accurate update earlier post…I left on the last VQS – Fajardo 430 ferry yesterday. The boardwalk Malecon getting cleaned up really well and a good bit of manpower working on carpentry for all Esperanza….Morales & portales are very well-stocked of course with the exception of fresh vegetables and the Meats are spotty but then again aren’t they always on Vieques? The 2 o’clock meetings in the Square are very good…Jay Gonzalez, Mark Martin and his crew are doing an excellent job relaying information to resident and addressing concerns as they come up, compassionate understanding and listening manner. I went to 4 meetings and multigenerational as well as gringo residents walked away having any questions answered or a promise of being looked into. Extremely professional. Vieques Love is truly impressive beyond any doubt!!!!

“There are just a few spots on the hills without water mainly due to pipes. Kuhns sombrero & Yate are up and running, Als should be by today, Tsunami closed but green store, Mambos and lighthouse all good too.. the gas lines are long but NOT as angry / tense as I witnessed on mainland… VQS is showing their true colors and sense of community.. many small businesses and food trucks popping online every day. I think this is the first time in my life I’ve ever made a trip to see my parents in not had Lydia’s cheese bread 🙂

“the Val office downtown is not open yet you have to go out to the airport butCape areo taxi and Val all have someone downstairs ready and able to answer questions. The post office should have finished sorting out the backlog and I believe were beginning to distribute yesterday. The banks are slightly touch and go and I think you may be able to make deposits by now… I have a Verizon phone and was able to jump on Claro at the fort and make two calls to my wife…the temporary Tower downtown which will cover a 2 mile radius was in progress of being built… The entire island seems to go a little better as long as the ice plant can keep their generator up and going. It’s a big morale boost for a cold beverage at home as well as keeping the coolers cold… absolutely everyone is cleaning up their yards but also waiting for the hopeful convoys of electrical repair trucks which other than a half dozen guys I did not see unfortunately…

“ALL VQS residents continue to amaze me with resilience…

“TRAVEL- a flight VQS- SJU would be the least painful as always….taxis are tough to find in Fajardo at the 430 crossing… I befriended some locals that live in Condado and gave me a lift…there are zero hotel rooms in San Juan / isla verde due to FEMA and federales getting all the rooms…. on the way to VQS we slept outside in SJ until we found a ride to Cieba in the morning…on the way home I slept in SJU for 11 hours waiting for my flight which got out without a hitch at 10am however I noticed.. almost 90% of flights leaving SJU prior to 730 were canceled Just an FYI USDA opens up lines 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock… you can get cell service in the terminal but Wi-Fi was definitely a longshot. Plenty of food and stores open at the airport.. I suggest camping out near a wall outlet 🙂

“I’ve heard mixed rumors about the W, whether they’ll reopen again or not ( I only care due to tourism $$ and local employment) a new friend of mine Lalo (spelling?) a very hard Vieques worker was let go under the impression they wouldn’t reopen… driving by cosmetically other than the outside Wall, it ‘looked’ not bad at all… looks can be deceiving I know but for the island sake I hope they reopen… can’t believe their roofs held…

“I (my family) has been through Hugo, Georges, Irma & Maria on Vieques… if I know one thing it’s that Vieques is a survivor and it’s solely because of its residents sense of community and faith, both of which they have in spades. God bless Vieques!”