Latest additions to the knowledge base

The aim of this study is to analyse the ‘window of opportunity’ of the post-Irma reconstruction in Saint Martin. The 2017 hurricane season in the Caribbean Basin recorded 18 events (storms and hurricanes), including Category 5 hurricane Irma on which this

This study evaluates the state of Saint-Martin’s CI before and after Hurricane Irma and, accordingly, reveals the indicators to assess during reconstruction projects. The proposed methods offer practitioners a guidance tool for planning efficient BBB CI

Early warning systems, community resilience, and protecting economies in the Caribbean topped the agenda at Sint Maarten’s Comprehensive Disaster Management conference.

The author explains why community engagement plays such an important role in building back better and recovery after disasters. This engagement and collaboration can be promoted by creating connections between different stakeholders, and by giving everyone a platform to share ideas.

Reflecting on the Hurricane Irma recovery, Claret Connor, the director of the Sint Maarten Recovery Program Bureau, reveals that the island has prioritised establishing the National Recovery Program Bureau as an independent entity, collaborating with stakeholders, and addressing the needs of the vulnerable. The island is slowly making preparedness a way of life.

Experts recommend that the Government of Sint Maarten should make warning messages more simple and multi-lingual to accommodate the island's diverse population. To reduce future damage, the government needs to improve building regulations, inspect new construction, and strictly enforce standards.

Sint Maarten is slowly but surely recovering from Hurricane Irma through various private sector employment programs that prevent mass layoffs and facilitate skill development. The island is also building back better, implementing warning and information-sharing measures, and even improving the specifications for a planned hospital to make it more resilient.

Sint Maarten's Prime Minister has signed the first trust fund grant, which will be used to support the repairs of severely damaged houses of low income families, increase the resilience of the electricity utility and water system, as well as strengthen the emergency response capacities of the fire brigade and first responders in the face of natural disasters.