Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record, destroyed the four “most solid” buildings on the small Caribbean island of St Martin after it reached land. Irma updates from the island show truly shocking devastation, with video reports showing the extent of the damage as people start to rebuild their lives. The French interior minister Gerard Collomb said serious flooding and building damage has affected a number of the local islands. Princess Juliana International Airport in St Maarten, the Dutch side of the island, has been destroyed after the deadly storm made landfall. Huge rocks crashed into planes, boarding walkways were thrown around like rag dolls and huge mounds of sand were left on the runway from the nearby Maho beach.
It is currently estimated that 60 to 70% of the houses have been destroyed in St Maarten. Over 1500 people have been cut off from communication. The situation is dire as the majority of the island has been destroyed. This is an appeal for donations to assist in emergency and rebuilding efforts. Whilst it is not yet clear which organizations will be involved in relief efforts, the funds will immediately be transferred to the appropriate entities as soon as it becomes clear – and this information will be provided and updated as it becomes clear.