💧 Water and Power · U.S. Virgin Islands
WAPA corrected Senate testimony on $11 billion hurricane damage figure
Official document: https://www.viwapa.vi/docs/default-source/2023-pr/press-statement-(10.22.2025)-wapa-provides-correction-on-testimony-before-the-senate-on-oct.-16.pdf?sfvrsn=840d3751_3
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority said on October 22, 2025, that an $11 billion disaster-damage figure cited in testimony before the Committee on Disaster Recovery, Infrastructure and Planning on October 16 did not refer to damage sustained by WAPA alone.
WAPA said the estimate came from a federal report published on November 11, 2020, by the RAND Corporation and covered total damages across the U.S. Virgin Islands, including public infrastructure, private property, utilities, healthcare and housing.
The authority said FEMA funding was sufficient to cover the hurricane damage WAPA sustained from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. WAPA said those funds were being used to strengthen the electrical grid and that it was using the money in accordance with federal requirements.
WAPA said it issued the statement to correct earlier misstatements about the figure.