On the morning of September 6th, 2017, residents of the French collectivity of Saint Martin awoke to find a category 5 hurricane sweeping over their idyllic Caribbean island.
A sense of complete devastation washed over the populace as the hurricane systematically disfigured their homes, their schools, and their businesses. Trees were violently ripped from the ground; vehicles were lifted into the air and hurled across the island like leaves blowing in the wind.
Hurricane Irma was unfolding to become the worst natural disaster to ever hit the island and the residents of Saint Martin were powerless to do anything about it.
After the danger had passed and surveys of the island were finally conducted, it was estimated that the hurricane had caused between 3 and 4 billion dollars worth of damage. 11 people lost their lives and over 90% of all buildings were either completely destroyed or severely damaged.
The hurricane was at peak intensity when it passed through Saint Martin and it left a scar that would take years to heal.
Saint Martin vs. Sint Maarten
For context, the island that I’m referring to is actually split in half. Saint Martin (a French overseas collectivity) comprises the northern half of the island while Sint Maarten (a Dutch constituent country) is located in the southern half.
The statistics mentioned in the intro only apply to Saint Martin, the French side of the island. While there was extensive damage in Dutch Sint Maarten as well, the southern half of the island did not experience the same level of destruction compared to French Saint Martin.
Visiting A Post-Irma Saint Martin
I arrived to Saint Martin exactly 526 days after the hurricane had ravaged the island. It was a beautiful February day when I took the ferry from Anguilla over to Marigot, the capital of French Saint Martin. From there, I took a taxi to my hotel in the beachside town of Grand Case.
Over the next four days I explored Saint Martin and witnessed firsthand the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma. While the island had done a miraculous job at rebuilding its infrastructure up to that point, the damage had been so extensive that even 526 days wasn’t enough time to completely wipe the natural disaster from plain sight.
If this necessary process of rebuilding Saint Martin was off-putting to some tourists, it was fascinating to me. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the people, the hurricane, and the recovery of the island.
The damage caused by Hurricane Irma could be broken into two categories: buildings that were under repair and buildings that were left abandoned.
Saint Martin’s capital, Marigot, seemed to have numerous buildings that fit into the latter category. In certain areas I could see uprooted trees, shattered windows, cracked walls, boarded up doorways, and roofs that were only partially covered.
This isn’t to say that Marigot was in tatters, as some of these pictures may suggest. Plenty of businesses were open and in good condition. However, if you walked around the capital long enough, you were bound to notice some of these decrepit buildings, most of which appeared to be houses.
On the other hand, the beachside resort town of Grand Case was in full recovery mode with numerous hotels and restaurants having recently re-opened their doors to the public. The ones that had yet to re-open were under construction and appeared to be making great progress.
You could tell that there was an overwhelming sense of relief among business owners and employees in Grand Case. The worst of their ordeal was behind them and now they were able to pursue a sense of normalcy within their lives.
I want to make it clear that Saint Martin is perfectly capable of receiving tourists and that not every building on the island had visible damage. It is not my intention to dissuade anyone from visiting Saint Martin but to accurately tell the story of the island’s recovery.
The inherent beauty of the island coupled with the friendly nature of Saint Martin’s locals certainly made up for any damage that was visible in February 2019.
The Friendly Island
While you may have had a temporary nickname back in college, there’s one nickname that has always accompanied Saint Martin: The Friendly Island.
If you ever visit this island you’ll know why. The locals are extremely warm and it’s difficult not to exchange pleasantries when passing by random people on the streets.
Now, to be sure, there are plenty of countries and islands in the world where the locals are friendly. However, I found it especially inspiring that the locals in Saint Martin, the very same ones that are still recovering from a terrible natural disaster, are so upbeat and inviting.
It would be completely justified for them to express their frustrations with the hurricane, or with the fact that neighboring Sint Maarten receives more tourism and has a much stronger economy (by a factor of 3.5X). But alas, this is simply not the case.
The story of Saint Martin is a story of resilience and positivity. It’s the story of a community overcoming insurmountable odds and making continued progress in the face of adversity.
The Friendly Island may have been damaged but it will never be destroyed.
Plan Your Trip To Saint Martin
Accommodations: We recommend using Booking.com and Hostelworld for reserving accommodations. Both of these booking sites are easy to use and they feature a wide range of options. You can compare prices, view photos, and read reviews to help you find the perfect accommodation.
Flights: We recommend using Kiwi to find cheap flights. Their interface is user friendly and they help you find the best deals on flights to any destination.
The closest airport to Saint Martin is the Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten:
Travel Insurance: We recommend purchasing travel insurance from World Nomads. They’re one of the most trusted travel insurance providers and their plans cover a wide range of claims from overseas medical care to emergency evacuation. World Nomads will even allow you to purchase a plan if you’re already traveling abroad.
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Amazing post. And they way you described the island was really nice. The positive attitude and jolly nature of the people after such a big loss is really motivating. Really wish to travel there one day.
Thanks! I’m glad to hear that you find it motivating as well, safe travels!
Great story about the resiliency of these people. Rebuilding is not a simple task and takes a great amount of time and effort. I visited St. Thomas in August of last year (2018). Many hotels were still not operational and a bunch of restaurants were still closed. The people and island were “alive” the vibe was good. I was supposed to get over to Sint Maarten in October but Delta canceled the flight. I had researched both sides and planned to explore the rebuilding process. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks David, I’m glad that you enjoyed the article and that you’ve had some firsthand experience with this topic. Hopefully you can make it to Sint Maarten/Saint Martin soon!
I’m glad that you weren’t hesitant about visiting the island after Hurricane Irma. You painted a realistic picture of life on an island after devastation.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment Alecia! I’m glad that you think so!
Great post! It is important to remember how long it takes to rebuild after a disaster like Irma/Maria for islands like St Martin, St John, St Thomas and even Puerto Rico.
Thank you! Yes I think anyone visiting these islands after a hurricane needs to keep this mind so that they’re not disappointed with the reality of the situation.
Wow what a positive and inspiring post! I learned so much from this Michael!
Very happy to hear that Ciara! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Such a positive, uplifting and well done post! I feel as if I learned so much about the island!
Wow reading this comment made me so happy, thank you!
Thank you for sharing! A fantastic post! Another destination to add to the travel bucket list!!
Glad that you liked it!
It’s hard to imagine that even after a year and a half that clean yo was still taking place. So difficult to pick up your life after such a disaster and it’s a credit to the locals to continue on with a smile on their faces. Let’s hope people aren’t dissuaded from visiting, they need every financial help they can get. Nice work to bring this to our attention.
Yes very true! Thanks for stopping by John.
What a great and positive post. Well done. I am not planning to visit but very happy to know people are doing their best to carry on with their lives.
Huuuuray for positivity! Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
Very interesting read, Michael. I too, hadn’t heard of Sint Maarten. It’s amazing to see your photos over a year after the hurricane hit, but it’s good to know that the locals are recovering and that things are getting back to normal for them.
Thanks for reading and leaving a comment Laura! I appreciate it!
Thank you for sharing this, Michael! I did not realize how much this island was affected.
You’re welcome Kevin. Yes it’s easy to skim over this kind of thing in the news but it had such an impact on so many islands.
This was quite the read, Michael! I had heard of Hurricane Irma from two years ago but never really quite grasped the damage it left on some islands. I’m glad that they’re hoping to rebuild soon. Thanks for sharing this article; also, love the photos!
☼ cabin twenty-four
Yes the rebuilding process is well underway and it may even be mostly completed by now! Very happy that you read the article and enjoyed the content.
I think people forget that when disaster happens, it takes years to rebuild. Thank you for the reminder! Definitely sharing this one!
I’m glad that you enjoyed the article! Thanks for stopping by!
This was a very interesting article. I didn’t know all of that about the island! And your pictures were great. I would definitely love to visit this place one day.
Thanks for the kind words Tamra! I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the article and that you have an interest in visiting someday.
I didn’t know about Sint Maarten thanks for sharing and giving all these facts! I hope they’re able to rebuild it soon! We have never been there yet but hoping we will be able to in the future!
Yes both Saint Martin and Sint Maarten are progressing nicely and I’d highly recommend giving them a visit sometime!