I saw hurricane destruction up close and personal for the first time in my life when I visited St. Maarten / St Martin on Saturday.
When Hurricane Irma struck the island in September 2017, winds of 180 mph tore through the island, destroying everything it it's path. It wasn't bad enough dealing with Irma, but they had to deal with Hurricane Jose and Hurricane Maria in the following weeks.
I spoke to a local who said he and several of his friends and relatives tried to ride out the storm in his home but the roof was torn off so when the eye passed over and everything was calm for a minute, they went to a neighbors home that had a concrete roof that was still in tact.
The airport is still operating out of tents around the building since the hundred million dollar terminal was not designed to withstand winds caused from a category 5 hurricane. Beautiful major hotels are sitting empty or is in the process of being torn down.
Residents of the island spoke about how frustrated they have been with the government's response to the cleanup. The Dutch side of the island seemed to be making some progress with the clean up unlike the French side which seemed to be behind in their cleanup efforts.
Some beaches are still closed, like Orient Beach, disappointing visitors and hurting the economy since most of their incomes comes from tourism. Though we missed Orient Beach, we did get to go to Maho Beach which was at the top of my bucket list on this visit to the island.
Even though there is still a lot of hurricane damage, St Martin is still a beautiful island and you just can't beat the views. The sea is breathtaking and you can still enjoy relaxing on the beach and soaking is some Caribbean sun.
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