Sint Maarten

Hurricane Maria is heading towards the Caribbean, but is currently expected to miss the Kingdom of the Netherlands islands, according to Nicolien Kroon of Buienradar. The strong winds and heavy rains the hurricane brings with it can still cause many problems on the islands, especially for Sint Maarten, which was devastated by Hurricane Irma a week and a half a go, RTL Nieuws reports.

Sint Maarten's prime minister William Marlin is critical of Dutch soldiers' failure to maintain public order on the island in the direct aftermath of Hurricane Irma, he said in an interview with NRC. "There was looting, the marines watched and did nothing", Marlin said.

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.

Sint Maarten hopes that the island can recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma within a year or two, deputy minister of the island Henrietta Doran-York said after a national council meeting in The Hague on Tuesday. She also praised the cooperation between the Netherlands and Sint Maarten in the run-up and aftermath of the hurricane, and refuted criticism about a lack of preparation for the hurricane, RTL Nieuws reports.

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.

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.

In addition to the material destruction Hurricane Irma left in its wake, the island of Sint Maarten is now also dealing with looters carrying off whatever they can get their hands on, according to various news sources.

An eye witness told BNR on Friday morning that armed looters are working in organized groups to take as much as they can. Minister Ronald Plasterk of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations confirmed the looting, according to Financieele Dagblad. 

The situation in the part of the Dominican Republic that will soon be hit by Hurricane Irma, was still calm on Thursday morning, Odile Horjus from Doetinchem said to the Gelderlander. "It's very quiet. It's only raining steadily", the Dutch woman, who lives in Sousa on the north coast of the Caribbean sate, said around 9:00 a.m. Dutch time, 3:00 a.m. Dominican time. 

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.

The Netherlands islands of Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius were struck by Hurricane Irma on Wednesday. All three islands were hit hard, but Sint Maarten sustained the most damage. As more and more photos and footage surface from the islands, the extent of the damage is becoming clear. 

Hurricane Irma took at least six lives on Saint-Martin, the French part of the island that also includes Sint Maarten, broadcaster Franceinfo reported on behalf of the French government. Thus far no information is available about victims in the Dutch part of the island, the Telegraaf reports.