The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency told the Senate Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance Tuesday it is seeking about $5.9 million for fiscal 2027 to support 911 services, emergency planning and disaster response.
Daryl D. Jaschen, executive director of the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency described VITEMA as the territory’s emergency management agency, responsible for preparing for, responding to and recovering from hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis and other hazards. He said the agency operates 911 centers and emergency operations centers, manages public warning systems and coordinates disaster logistics such as generators, shelters and federally funded assistance.
According to Jaschen’s budget testimony, about $3.28 million of the 2027 General Fund request would go to salaries and wages, while $1.65 million is budgeted for fringe benefits. He said smaller amounts are allocated across supplies, other services and contingency funds, including generator maintenance and disaster recovery expenses.
Jaschen told senators that, beyond local funding, VITEMA expects to manage about $4.44 million in federal grants in fiscal 2027 to support emergency preparedness and response programs. He said the agency also anticipates roughly $736,000 from the territory’s Emergency Services Surcharge, a $2 fee on phone and communication lines that is dedicated in part to 911 system upgrades and maintenance.
As the 2026 hurricane season has begun, senators pressed Jaschen on the territory’s preparedness. He told the committee that VITEMA’s overall planning and equipment are in good shape but said shelters, particularly school facilities, remain a key vulnerability. “Our schools are one of our weaknesses,” he said, calling school-based shelters his “one gap” in overall readiness.
He said some designated shelters, including several public school buildings, still lack dedicated generators. Others, he told senators, need work such as fixing roof leaks, replacing a shattered entrance door or addressing issues with fire extinguishers and related systems before they can be opened as shelters.
Jaschen said VITEMA maintains 10 mobile 100-kilowatt generators under active maintenance contracts, with several already deployed to hospitals and shelter sites across the territory. He also said FEMA prepositions boxed water and shelf-stable meals in the Virgin Islands, primarily on St. Croix, to support about 10 days of post-storm distribution through National Guard and Human Services points.
Staffing shortages in the 911 centers were outlined as a major concern. Deputy Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations Nadia Fearon told senators the agency has about 20.5 vacancies across its workforce, including nine dispatch and call-taking positions, and described turnover in 911 as a “revolving door.”
Fearon said lower pay relative to job demands, 12-hour shifts, childcare challenges and the emotional strain of emergency calls are frequent reasons employees leave the centers. She said those conditions have contributed to increased overtime needs.
According to figures presented by Jaschen, 911 overtime reached about $372,000 in fiscal 2025. For fiscal 2026, overtime stood at roughly $255,000 as of May and is projected to reach about $356,939 by year’s end, more than $82,000 above the $274,700 budgeted. Jaschen said the shortfall will be covered through savings from vacant positions.
For fiscal 2027, he said VITEMA has reduced its 911 overtime request to $219,700 while continuing recruitment and implementing pay increases under a United Steelworkers contract, including a $35,000 minimum salary for some positions.
Jaschen also pointed to a major milestone in the agency’s recent history, saying VITEMA received full accreditation from the Emergency Management Accreditation Program in October 2024, making the U.S. Virgin Islands the first U.S. territory to achieve the recognition. EMAP is an independent nonprofit that accredits emergency management agencies to comply with standards covering prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery for all hazards.
Deputy Director of Planning and Preparedness Regina Brown told senators the process showed that “we had plans, but we didn’t have procedures and processes identified,” and that EMAP “is very big on how you do it, not just having a plan written.” She said that approach has been applied to every key territorial emergency plan.
Jaschen said VITEMA is now in a multi-year compliance cycle and must regularly submit documentation to maintain its accredited status. He said the framework has been used to guide training, emergency exercises and coordination with other agencies, including hurricane preparedness drills and tsunami response planning over the past two years.
VITEMA has expanded its emergency communications tools in recent years, including a text-to-911 service launched in 2025 that allows residents to contact dispatchers by text when they cannot safely make a call or are deaf or hard of hearing. The agency has also added a language interpretation system that connects 911 operators to interpreters in more than 240 languages.
On the infrastructure side, Jaschen said a $22.5 million FEMA-funded project to rebuild VITEMA’s emergency operations center on St. Croix remains in design. The planned facility, at Estate Hermon Hill, would replace the existing center with a hardened safe-room structure. Once approved, construction is expected to take about two years.
VITEMA also oversees 44 tsunami warning sirens across the territory, many of which are currently offline due to battery failures and environmental damage. Jaschen said repairs are underway under a federal maintenance contract, with work moving island by island.
Assistant Director Ovid Williams told lawmakers that despite staffing losses and federal grant-management challenges, no current federal funding is at risk. Jaschen noted that a Disability Integration Unit required by law remains unfunded, with an estimated startup cost of about $165,000.
Senators welcomed VITEMA’s progress, including its national accreditation, and heard updates on new emergency communications tools, but questioned officials about persistent gaps in shelter readiness at school-based facilities, 911 staffing and overtime, and failing tsunami sirens.
