Nearly seven months after hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on Sint Maarten, the first financial aid from the Netherlands is heading towards the island. 110 million euros for reconstruction will be released, State Secretary Raymond Knops of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations announced on Wednesday. The money comes from an aid fund of 550 million euros, which will be managed by the World Bank, NOS reports.
hurricane
Apr 5 '18 07:33
Nov 3 '17 07:36
The parliament of Sint Maarten, the States, passed a motion of no confidence against six of the seven minsters in its government, including Prime Minister William Marlin on Thursday. The government was disbanded and new elections will be held in January, governor Eugene Holiday announced in a statement. Until then, the island will be ruled by an interim government that still needs to be established, ANP reports.
Sep 27 '17 11:30
Dutch marines delivered emergency supplies to the Caribbean country of Dominica, which was recently hit by devastating Hurricane Maria. The emergency supplies, which were delivered by land and sea, are "desperately needed", the Royal Marines said on Twitter.
The Ministry of Defense sent naval ship Zr. Ms. Zeeland to Dominica, the same ship that provided emergency relief to Sint Maarten after Hurricane Irma. Hurricane Maria killed at least 15 people on Dominica and destroyed numerous homes and schools, according to RTL Nieuws.
Sep 20 '17 07:30
Hurricane Maria pulled past Sint Maarten during the early hours of Wednesday morning, at first sight with out causing much damage. Sint Eustatius and Saba got more wind and rain this time around, compared to hurricane Irma two weeks ago, but there too the damages seem to be limited, AD reports. The hurricane is still increasing in strength and is now heading towards the American Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Sep 19 '17 07:34
Saba and Sint Eustatius are anxiously awaiting Hurricane Maria, which is set to pass close by the islands in the course of the morning or early in the afternoon. Hurricane Maria increased in strength and is now considered a category 5 hurricane, the strongest category, with wind speeds up to 260 kilometers per hour, BNR reports.
Sep 14 '17 10:30
The Red Cross' fundraiser to help the people of Sint Maarten after the devastating Hurricane Irma, Giro 5125, raised over 4.3 million euros so far. And the donations keep coming in, the Red Cross announced on Thursday, RTL Nieuws reports.
Sep 13 '17 10:40
Sint Maarten can count on a financial contribution from the Netherlands to help it recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday evening, according to Metro Nieuws. He did not mention any amounts.
There is no doubt that the Sint Maarten - an autonomous country that forms part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands - desperately needs help. According to the Red Cross, 91 percent of the homes on the island were damaged or destroyed.
Sep 12 '17 11:10
Dutch King Willem-Alexander is overwhelmed by the devastation Hurricane Irma left on Sint Maarten, one of the Caribbean islands that form part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. "I've never seen anything like this, everywhere you look you see destruction and upheaval", the King said from the island on Tuesday, NU.nl reports.
Sep 12 '17 08:01
King Willem-Alexander and Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations arrived on Sint Maarten on Monday afternoon, local time. They landed on a battered Princess Juliana International Airport, where they were immediately faced with the devastation Hurricane Irma left in its wake. Back in the mainland Netherlands, a more hopeful scene unfolded at Eindhoven Airport, as the first 100 or so evacuees from the hurricane hit island were reunited with family members.
Sep 11 '17 15:10
The first plane carrying evacuees from Sint Maarten is on its way back to the Netherlands. The air force KDC-10 plane is expected to land at Eindhoven air base at around 3:30 p.m., Omroep Brabant reports. The evacuees were previously only taken as far as Curacao.
Sep 11 '17 08:33
King Willem-Alexander will visit Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba on Monday to see the aftermath of Hurricane Irma with his own eyes, Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations said on Curacao on Sunday afternoon, ANP reports.
Plasterk spoke with the press after visiting patients at the Sint Elisabeth Hospital, who were flown to Curacao after the hurricane to get medical treatment. Before that he and the King visited the meteorological service in Curacao and the Parera naval center.
Sep 8 '17 08:26
The emergency aid for Sint Maarten is finally on its way after Hurricane Irma caused devastation on the island on Wednesday. A plane managed to land at the battered Princess Juliana International Airport and the first Dutch navy ship unloaded its emergency supplies.
Sep 7 '17 11:15
At least 2,400 Dutch travelers are currently in the areas that will soon face the wrath of Hurricane Irma, according to travel agency TUI, NU.nl reports.
Around 1,600 Dutch are on Cuba and the Dominican Republic. They booked trips through TUI subsidiary Kras. The other 800 are in the American state of Florida.
TUI also has four travelers on Sint Maarten, where Hurricane Irma hit on Wednesday, leaving devastation in its wake. TUI managed to make contact with all four Dutch and they are doing well.
Sep 7 '17 09:16
The Dutch Ministers involved in providing aid to the islands affected by Hurricane Irma on Wednesday, are meeting in the National Crisis Center in The Hague at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning. The main purpose of this meeting is to map what aid exactly the islands of Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius need, Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs and Kingdom relations said to broadcaster NOS.
Sep 7 '17 08:27
The Red Cross started raising funds to support the victims of Hurricane Irma, which caused massive amounts of damage on the islands of Sint Maarten, Sint Estatius and Saba on Wednesday. Donations to Giro 5125 can be made from the Red Cross website.
Sep 6 '17 07:43
Hurricane Irma is expected to hit the islands of Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba, all part of the Dutch Kingdom, at noon on Wednesday (Netherlands time), according to NU.nl. The hurricane is considered a class five hurricane, the fiercest category on the Saffir-Simmpson scale. With wind speeds of 295 kilometers per hour measured, Irma is in the top 5 of fiercest Atlantic hurricanes, RTL Nieuws reports.
The hurricane will hit Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday morning. The authorities on the two Caribbean islands called on residents to seek shelter.
Sep 5 '17 08:26
Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba are preparing for Hurricane Irma, which is expected to hit the islands on Tuesday night or during the early hours of Wednesday morning. The storm is increasing in strength and is now considered a hurricane of the fourth category, RTL Nieuws reports.
Oct 4 '16 15:00
Dutch man Johan Smoorenburg and 160 orphan children are hunkered down and waiting for hurricane Matthew to hit Haiti, he said to RTL Nieuws. Smoorenburg runs a shelter village for orphans 15 kilometers outside Port-au-Prince.
Dec 5 '14 23:42
Dr Erwann Michel-Kerjan and co-authors, winners of this year's Science of Risk: Climate Change category, proposed four flood resilience strategies to protect coastal megacities from the likes of Superstorm Sandy. Their strategies included the levee systems designed for the Netherlands by Dutch engineers in early 1950's.
Aug 28 '14 08:11
Tropical hurricane Cristobal will be responsible for bringing good weather to The Netherlands this September. The high pressure area that will come about to the east of the bad weather system will cause Dutch weather to be stable, and warmer than it has been, De Weekkrant reports.
Nov 13 '13 05:01
The Cooperating Aid Agencies and the Public Broadcasting , RTL and SBS will organize a TV fund-raiser on Monday, November 18th for the victims of the hurricane in the Philippines
Oct 28 '13 14:21
Today's storm is the worst since 1990. On Vlieland an average force of 11 was measured for over an hour, making the storm as intense as in 1990, according to weather bureau Weather Plaza. For a short time the winds even reached a force of 12 on Vlieland, which is hurricane force.
