HURRICANE IRMA: Man claims United States Government is neglecting its own people in the Caribbean

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A man from the U.S. Virgin islands fears that many victims of the hurricane on the American island are being forgotten by the government, as well as by many groups that are trying to help in the crisis.

Located east of Puerto Rico, an estimated 106,405 people live on the island group, according to figures from the 2010 Census.


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Eddie Wilson was forced to leave the U.S. Virgin Islands, after Hurricane Irma destroyed many of the buildings.

"It's unrealistic," said Wilson. "You go to bed one night and it's green and lush and beautiful, and you pry your door open the next morning, and it looks like a war zone."

Wilson said he is now one of thousands of hurricane refugees that were created over the last month, his island having been battered mercilessly by Hurricane Irma.

"We're homeless, jobless," said Wilson. "The island doesn't have supplies."

Wilson is now staying with a friend in Phoenix. He recounted what happened during the storm.

"We just watched it come in," said Wilson. "Rain and winds, and rain some more, and then it sounded like a train was coming. A massive freight train."

A chef and restaurateur, Wilson had built businesses in Cinnamon Bay on Saint John.


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Wilson is emotional at times about the loss of a beautiful island paradise that drew hundreds of thousand tourists each year. Wilson also said he was stunned and disappointed that the United States Government has not come to the aid of an island that belongs to the U.S.

Wilson said there are fundraisers underway to help Saint John recover. Saint John Recovery Fund and the Saint John Rotary Club, both of which Wilson belongs to, are two of them.

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