Darvin Vanterpool, my Anegada Hurricane Friend

Hi, my name is Annie Drake. My heart goes out to my hurricane friend Darvin Vanterpool, and I hope you will join me in helping him. Here is his story.

 

On the little island of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands this April, I met a man I call “My Hurricane Friend”. He was sitting in his hurricane-ravaged restaurant, head down, reading his Bible as I walked by. I walked up and said good morning and after a while, he told me his story. He talked about how Hurricane Irma, the strongest Atlantic forming hurricane ever recorded, hit the island of Anegada on September 6, 2017, and demolished his restaurant and bar. Two weeks later, Hurricane Maria, also a category 5 hurricane, hit the area and did less damage to the restaurant but hit the Settlement area of the island, slow and hard, where most locals live. Like the Whistling Pine Restaurant and Bar, many houses in the Settlement are still boarded up. Sadly for Darvin, The Whistling Pine had been the busiest restaurant on the island and his sole source of income.

 

After the storms in 2017, Darvin put a new roof over the little bar area, strung up some lights and opened up again with limited service. Then in 2020, the storm from COVID hit hard with tourism plummeting, taking away his livelihood and his staff with it.

 The Whistling Pines restaurant.

This is what is left of his kitchen.

After learning his insurance company refused to honor its policy, he scraped together enough funds to build four small long-term rentals, which now keeps his family afloat.

 

He had one offer from a businessman who wanted to buy his land and then rent it back to him for 99 years. This coastal land was given to his ancestors by Queen Victoria and is the most precious thing he has to pass down to his descendants so he declined the offer.

 

He prays and waits until he can rebuild his restaurant again.

 

For some reason, Darvin does not have much faith that Americans would care at all about a guy on the remote island of Anegada or be willing to give him the financial help to get his life back. At least not until he met me.

 

I pray that you could give $10.00, or any amount you feel you can afford, toward rebuilding Darvin Vanterpool’s restaurant and bar. Please share this GoFundMe with your friends and family.

 

Maybe you too will come here someday and visit his little place, The Whistling Pines Restaurant and Bar, on the most peaceful island we have ever visited. You could shake Darvin’s hand and tell him you had a small part in his recovery from the Hurricanes.

Here is a link to reviews of his restaurant posted to Trip Advisor.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147362-d3246753-Reviews-Whistling_Pines-Anegada_British_Virgin_Islands.html

Thank you and God bless,

 

Annie Drake