Saint Thomas, Caribbean

Last Thursday I had a last minute shoot come up that took me to Puerto Rico and Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I was asked by Mormon Newsroom to gather footage and produce a short news story on a visit President Henry B. Eyring, of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was making to members of church affected by Hurricane Irma. 

Flights to and from the Caribbean are super scarce so after a red-eye flight with two connections I finally made it to San Juan at 11:30 on Friday morning, then flew on a chartered Cessna flight with President Eyring and others to Saint Thomas.

The island was hammered from the hurricane. Trees and power lines were down, buildings destroyed and debris were everywhere. President Eyring was taken to a local church where he gave a short devotional. It was inspiring to watch his care for the people there. As I was getting ready to begin filming he commented to me, "Now remember, we are not here for the news, we are here to help the people here." I appreciated that, because it made me feel like a part of the relief team.

After only a couple hours in St. Thomas we got back on our plane and returned to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where President Eyring gave another devotional that evening. 

Here is a short video that was created for the press release put out by Mormon Newsroom. You can read the entire press release at mormonnewsroom.org.