Meet Hannah Clements, an Elon University student from the US Virgin Islands. Hannah was on campus this year when two hurricanes, Irma and Maria, struck her home. The loss of communication with her family and friends was extremely difficult and she is thankful that her loved ones are all safe. Hannah misses Saint Thomas but is happy to see where her time at Elon University will take her. Being away from the island has shown Hannah how lucky she was to experience such a unique childhood
Hometown: Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Year: Freshman
Major/Minor: Strategic Communications and Media Analytics with a minor in Business Administration
What is the hardest part of being so far from home?
There aren’t many people travelling from Saint Thomas to North Carolina so going home is difficult, especially because of the storms. I have only been able to go home for Christmas break. I was supposed to go home for thanksgiving to get my wisdom teeth out but because the storm destroyed the hospital I had to stay in North Carolina for the procedure.
What was the worst part about Irma and Maria for you?
Communication was definitely the worst part for me because it was hard to know what was happening. During Irma I lost communication 30 minutes before the storm began and didn’t hear from my family until 2 days after the storm because there was no cell service. Between the 10 days of Irma and Maria there were only two locations on the island that my parents were able to get service so I could only talk to them every couple of days. For the weeks following Maria service was really spotty so I could only contact my family every couple days. Luckily my home was not destroyed but many of my friends lost their homes.
Did you have any realizations following the storm?
It was extremely difficult to see my childhood be destroyed especially because my bedroom had the worst damage. I lost a lot of items that had sentimental value but I understand it could have been a lot worse. It made me realize how thankful I am that I had the experience of growing up in the Virgin Islands.
Are you planning on moving back to the Virgin Islands after college?
I don’t plan on moving back to St Thomas right after college because there aren’t many opportunities for a career there but I hope one day I will move back.