Dreams of a fresh start in hurricane-hit St Martin
Irma flattens rich and poor neighbourhoods alike on the island
The Caribbean island of St Martin was a place of spectacular inequalities before Hurricane Irma flattened rich and poor neighbourhoods alike — but some residents now dream of a fresh start.
“A land of contrasts” was how French authorities, which run the northern half of the island devastated by last week’s category five hurricane, described it in a 2016 report.
Crammed into an island not much bigger than Manhattan are not only two countries — the southern half is Dutch — but also billionaires living cheek by jowl with impoverished illegal immigrants.
US President Donald Trump is among the super-rich who own property on the island, while six in 10 of his neighbours on the French side receive government handouts.
The same phrase is now on the lips of many residents: “Everybody’s equal now.”
In the Quartier-d’Orleans, one of the poorest corners of the island, mother-of-three Nicaise Jasaron imagined a new and improved St Martin.
List of issues
The retail worker reeled off a list of complaints about life before the hurricane: overcrowding, soaring property prices, immigration from other islands that she says brought drugs, guns and prostitution.
“In any case, the island will be less crowded,” she said.
St Martin’s population tripled during a 1980s construction boom — but up to 1,000 people have been leaving a day since the storm, many having lost their livelihoods on an island almost entirely dependent on tourists drawn to its pristine beaches and duty-free shopping.
Crossing the border to the Dutch side Sint Maarten, however, Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk suggested the poorest would be at a disadvantage after Irma, yet again. “The differences have grown even bigger due to the storm, because the best buildings have relatively less damage than areas in the Middle Region of Philipsburg which is a workers’ area with low quality homes.” As the devastated Florida Keys began reopening to residents who fled Hurricane Irma, officials warned the returning islanders to bring enough supplies to sustain them for a while, because no one yet knows when water and power will be fully restored.
“The Keys are not what you left several days ago when you evacuated. Electricity, sewer and water are intermittent at best,” said Monroe County Mayor George Neugent during a news conference on Saturday.
Officials opened up US 1 on Saturday all the way south to Marathon for residents, business owners, disaster workers and supply trucks. They also announced plans to let the same groups have access all the way to Key West starting at 7am on Sunday.
Recovery efforts are well under way with the Salvation Army planning to serve 5,000 barbecue dinners Saturday night in Marathon and Key West, marking the first hot meals for many since Irma made landfall nearly a week ago.
Roads are being cleared and recovery centres are being set up in the area to help residents fill out Federal Emergency Management Agency, insurance and small business relief paperwork. Even Publix was open until 5pm on Friday.
Officials had agonised over the decision to reopen the islands, knowing residents were desperate to assess the damage with their own eyes, yet worried about harsh living conditions for those who chose to return. Curfews remained in effect and returning residents received a clear message from Keys officials — you must be selfsufficient. They encouraged residents to bring tents, small air-conditioning units, food, water and medications.