Why Are Virgin Islands Schools Still in Crisis Years After the Hurricanes?
What the Storms Taught Us
What the Storms Taught Us reveals the delays, struggles, and fight for accountability in the Virgin Islands. Directed by John P. Wheatley, this is where storytelling meets action. Join others committed to supporting students, teachers, and the future of education in the Virgin Islands.
What the Storms Taught Us
A Film by John P. Wheatley
In September 2017 the U.S. Virgin Islands was struck by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, two back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes that caused catastrophic damage, affecting 43 public schools across 3 islands, impacting 10,000 students and their families.
Despite billions in allocated federal disaster funds, plans remain approved but shovels remain unstuck almost seven years later, and students and teachers find themselves trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare, forced to endure decaying temporary structures as their permanent schools remain unbuilt.
This film premiered at the Hawai'i International Film Festival as part of HOMEGROWN: A PART OF/APART FROM series - eight documentary short films made by emerging BIPOC filmmakers living in the U.S. territories, Hawai‘i and their diasporic communities, focusing on stories grappling with issues of sovereignty, agency, and negotiating what it means to be at once “a part of and apart from” the United States. A Firelight Media production, in partnership with Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), Black Public Media (BPM), and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB).
WATCH THE FILM
Seven years after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, not a single permanent public school has been rebuilt in the U.S. Virgin Islands
What the Storms Taught Us is a powerful documentary that uncovers the bureaucracy, systemic neglect, and resilience of students and educators still learning in temporary modular classrooms. While billions in federal disaster relief remain tied up in red tape, a generation of young people fights for the education they deserve. Leaders are navigating FEMA regulations, compliance hurdles, and bureaucratic slowdowns that complicate the rebuilding process. While they are committed to restoring schools and infrastructure, they face a system that is layered with administrative delays, shifting policies, and competing priorities. The challenge isn’t just rebuilding—it’s overcoming the structural barriers that make recovery an uphill battle for everyone involved.
Watch the film to hear their stories—and be part of a community engaged in accountability and transformation.
