Story highlights Clint and Michelle Jones: The British Virgin Islands was our home for many years

Post-Hurricane Irma, it must be given the support it needs to fully recover, they write

Clint and Michelle Jones are currently based in Atlanta, Georgia, after having spent five years of their married and professional life in the British Virgin Islands. Clint is an accountant and Michelle is a teacher in an international school. The views expressed in this commentary are their own.

(CNN) The British Virgin Islands was our home for many years. The idyllic shores and vibrant culture fulfilled our longing for adventure as a newly married couple from South Africa.

Within a matter of months, acquaintances became friends and friends became family. Like many expatriates living abroad, we found ourselves woven into the community as though we had lived there our whole lives. We were shaped, indefinitely, by our experiences there.

And now we want to remind the world not to forget this precious island and its people.

Clint and Michelle Jones

When Irma set on a course for the British Virgin Islands as a Category 3 hurricane last week, we watched with much concern from Atlanta, Georgia, our current home. We contacted loved ones and friends to check on their preparations and wished them safe passage through the storm. Our long-time friends, John and Elaine, assured us with a message on Facebook: "Winds and rain are starting to increase. We are lucky we have a generator ... We should be good for about 16 hours or so."

Yet, within a matter of hours, Hurricane Irma had escalated into a violent Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 185 mph. By the time word had reached many BVI residents of the impending destruction, they did not have a choice. There was nowhere to go: flights had been canceled and ferries halted.

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