Macron, Dutch king view island damage
Locals say Irma caught governments off guard
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten — France’s president and the Dutch king visited Caribbean territories on Tuesday that were hammered by Hurricane Irma, bringing in much-needed food, water and medical supplies amid accusations that European governments had been unprepared, slow to react and sometimes even racist in their responses.
The Dutch Red Cross said more than 200 people were still listed as missing on St. Maarten, but with communications extremely spotty a week after the storm hit, it wasn’t clear how many were simply unable to let friends and family know they had survived. The organization said 90 percent of buildings on the Dutch territory were damaged and a third destroyed as Irma roared across the island it shares with French St. Martin.
Yogesh Bodha, a 37-year-old jewelry store employee, said there was no response from European officials for two days, and that he hasn’t seen many changes since Dutch authorities arrived on St. Maarten.
“They should’ve been more organized than they were,” he said. “We have not received any food or water. They say it’s on its way. Let’s see.”
French President Emmanuel Macron flew into Guadeloupe on Tuesday before heading to hard-hit St. Martin, where he met in debris-littered streets with residents. He was accompanied by doctors and teams of experts who were to help lead the recovery effort.
Macron said 11 people were killed in St. Martin, while another four people died on the Dutch side of the island, bringing the death toll in the Caribbean to at least 35.
At a news conference in the Pointe-a-pitre airport before departing for St. Martin, Macron said the government’s “top priority” was to help island residents return to normal life.
Dutch King Willem-alexander, who arrived in St. Maarten on Monday, said the scenes of devastation he witnessed in the hurricane’s aftermath were the worst he had ever seen.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this before, and I’ve seen a lot of natural disasters in my life. I’ve seen a lot of war zones in my life, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” Willem-alexander said on the Dutch national network NOS.