Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops struck an upbeat note on the progress of St. Maarten’s rebuilding following last September’s widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Irma (see Saturday paper). He welcomed the release of the first US $55 million grant for the improvement of shelters and disaster preparedness as well as to repair broken roofs.
The latter may seem a bit late for those involved 10 months after the catastrophe and well into the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season. However, it’s important to remember that a lot has already been done in this regard by the White and Yellow Cross (WYC) and the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF) with seven million euros for early recovery aid made available to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) outside of the Trust Fund at the World Bank.
Good news is that The Hague agreed to a request from the local government to send over about 10 professionals in several fields ranging from physical development and the programme bureau to fiscal expertise and waste management. Among other things, they will assist with related projects to be executed from the Trust Fund.
Knops would not commit to a longer stay of police and prison personnel from the Netherlands scheduled to end soon, indicating the matter is being discussed with Dutch Justice and Security Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus. The minister is currently in Bonaire for regular kingdom consultations with his counterparts from Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten, but when asked said only that there are “positive talks” with Philipsburg on the issue.
Knops pointed out that each month officials from the Netherlands continue working on the islands the cost goes from the reconstruction budget. That may be the case, but considering the current law enforcement problems and limitations, spending some money for such – also in terms of the tourism economy and its vulnerability to crime – certainly at this point would seem well worth it.
