As the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins, efforts across the Caribbean are ramping up to boost disaster preparedness and resilience.
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the 2025 Hurricane Preparedness Essay Competition is now underway, led by Teri Helenese in partnership with the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) and the American Red Cross.
Helenese is the Director of State-Federal Relations and Washington Representative for the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands.
This community-focused initiative invites students to share ideas on readiness and resilience through original essays — tackling themes like youth leadership, emergency planning, and protecting vulnerable residents. Students from elementary school to those enrolled at the University of the Virgin Islands can enter the competition by visiting bit.ly/hurricaneessay to review the rules and submit their entries online. The deadline for submissions is July 1, 2025.
Meanwhile, the Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association teamed up last week to host a timely Pre-Hurricane Season Webinar. Regional climate experts, tourism leaders and disaster professionals delivered the latest hurricane forecast and shared real-world insights from past storms. Attendees explored best practices in communication, evacuation and business continuity — reinforcing that proactive planning today is key to protecting lives and livelihoods across the region.
