Aerial Recovery Group named as an official partner of British Virgin Islands (BVI) Department of Disaster Management

By Rachelle Savoia

Aerial Recovery Group has been named an official partner of the BVI Department of Disaster Management, marking the long-term continuation of their work together since the Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The organization will also host its first-ever Resiliency Summit in BVI from March 27 - April 2. The Summit is one fulfillment of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Aerial Recovery Group and the BVI Department of Disaster Management, which calls for the company to support the Territory’s ongoing emergency preparedness and response program.

For the first time ever, leaders in the field of disaster preparedness and response from around the globe will convene at the inaugural Aerial Recovery Group Summit. This internationally connected network of industry leaders and NGOs will provide knowledge gained from the last two decades in order to be better prepared for the upcoming 2021 hurricane season and beyond. The goal of the Summit is to create strategic partnerships that result in saving lives, more effective disaster response, create joint maximized support, and share best practices for working together in nations affected by natural disasters. Through the work at the Summit, Aerial Recovery Group in partnership with the BVI’s Department of Disaster Management will create a “Disaster Best Practices” book to be distributed throughout the industry as a shared resource for disaster preparedness. Additionally, Premier and Minister of Finance Andrew Fahie, officers from the Department of Disaster Management, and others who played key roles in the 2017 response efforts in the BVI, will participate in the Summit. The Resiliency Summit is slated to be held annually and will host the industry’s preeminent NGO’s and leaders in the disaster recovery space each year.

“Aerial was boots on the ground only a few days after Hurricane Irma in 2017 and was present when Hurricane Maria hit. It has been our mission to document and share the recovery process with the world, encouraging people to continue to believe in, vacation in and invest in the British Virgin Islands,” said Britnie Turner, founder & CEO of Aerial Recovery Group. “Our work with the BVI government remains critically important and we’re very happy to continue our long-standing partnership by hosting the first ever Resiliency Summit in the BVI.”

In order to allow an international audience to join in the recovery and follow the recovery process, Aerial Produced, the production arm of the organization, created BVI Strong Story, a documentary and BVI Stronger, a 10-part docu-series about the resilience and recovery of the country. The films showcase the people of BVI overcoming insurmountable odds to become even stronger on the other side of the storm, telling the story of how the British Virgin Islands recovered from the most devastating two hurricanes to ever touch land in the Atlantic during that time - Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

According to Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Andrew A. Fahie: “With BVI LOVE, we thank Aerial Recovery Group for its partnership in highlighting the work of many individuals and organizations as we all worked together to rebuild our communities. The documentary & series enabled a close-up view of the resilience of the people of the Virgin Islands and their will to rebuild our communities after the devastating impacts of Irma and Maria.”

BVI Governor John J. Rankin added: “I welcome partnership with the private sector and thank Aerial Recovery Group for its continued support to our Department of Disaster Management and to the people of the BVI. It is key we all work together, both internationally as well as locally, to ensure we are as prepared as we can be for any disaster. We can all do our bit by making an early start to our personal preparedness, such as starting to build up contingency supplies. Every business and family should have a disaster plan, and I encourage everyone to consider reaching out to those who might need some extra help this year.”

Aerial Recovery Group is a full-spectrum emergency management firm created with the mission of saving lives, eliminating confusion, maximizing support and accelerating recovery. The organization does this by sharing best practices, harnessing the power of technology & communications, and utilizing the best talent in the world through military special forces and highly trained teams who work alongside government agencies and communities to prepare, respond, and recover after natural disasters. Aerial Recovery Group is one of the businesses in the Aerial Group portfolio founded by entrepreneur Britnie Turner.