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The Caribbean Hurricane PageUpdates from the Islands
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Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1998 22:53:56 -0400
From: Roddy Heyliger (heylrody@sintmaarten.net)
A Current State of Affairs - Post Hurricane Georges
From the Saba Government Information Service (SGIS) E-mail:
sabagis@hotmail.com
Prepared by Communications Consultant Roddy Heyliger
For those who would like more information, please do not hesitate to
contact us at our e-mail address.
For Immediate Release: Friday November 06, 1998
GEBE - Restoration of Electricity
As of Wednesday October 7th, the entire island has electricity. There is
electricity from one end of the island to the next. It took two weeks and
one day of hard work and lots of manpower and many man-hours to restore
electricity throughout the island. Commissioner of GEBE Affairs, Steve
Hassell has much praise for the work that has been done by all concerned.
"I would like to thank the local GEBE Management and staff; employees from
Curacao's Kodela; Aruba's ELMAR; Mr. Brookson from GEBE St. Maarten; the
staff of BBW; and those from the private sector who assisted, for their
hard work and dedication on behalf of the people of Saba. Everybody worked
tirelessly to get electricity back throughout the island in a record time
seeing the extent of the damage that was done to the electrical network.
"A complete section of the electrical grid that runs from the village of
St. John's to Windwardside had to be replaced. New lamp poles had to be
planted and high-tension lines put up. This job wasn't an easy one, but
due to the professionalism displayed, the work was done in record time in
this area," a proud Commissioner Hassell stated.
Antelecom/SATEL - Restoration of Telecommunications
Technicians have been busy on a daily basis since the passing of Mighty
Georges in re-establishing telephone communications throughout the island.
On Wednesday October 14th approximately, 90% of the island telephone
network was restored. The complete network according to Antelecom Manager
Jeffrey de la Combe, weather permitting should be by Saturday October 17th
100% operational The Executive Council would like to say that the telephone
technicians have been doing a great job and thanks them on behalf of the
people of Saba.
COMMISSIONER MEETS WITH HOTELIERS
All Supporting Services of Tourism Sector Ready
Commissioner of Tourism, Steve Hassell on Monday October 12th met with
several hoteliers in an information exchange session. Hassell informed
them that the Saba Small Business Stimulation Fund would be used to issue
soft loans. "This was a very important issue for the business community.
Another issue is the burying of electrical and telecommunication cables as
soon as possible. The recovery process after a hurricane is very important
in order to get the economic engine of the island back up and running.
Here on Saba we have been very successful in doing that. Saba is back in
business and tourist are most welcome to visit the Unspoiled Queen again.
"As a matter of fact a number of divers have visited the island and have
enjoyed diving the reefs of Saba. The villages have been cleaned up of
debris, hotels are back in business with the exception of Captains
Quarters, which has two rooms and a cottage available. The restaurants are
open, as well as the gift shops, and the ladies who sell Saba Lace and Saba
Spice are ready to greet tourists," Hassell said.
HOTELS, RESTAURANTS IN SABA BACK TO BUSINESS
All hotels and restaurants on the island are back to business and open for
tourists, with exception of Captain's Quarters, spokespersons for the Saba
Hotel and Tourism Association, Chairman Dean Johnson and Gied Mommers said.
Hurricane Georges hit Captain's Quarter so badly that operation's as a
full service resort for the 1998/99 season had to be suspended and only two
rooms and the restaurant/bar are available. All other hotels on the island
are welcoming guests as usual, the two spokespersons emphasized.
Future Cabling Underground
The Island Government of Saba sees it as a priority to have the electrical
and telecommunication cables underground. Based on the experience with
Hurricane Georges, and also being aware of reports from meteorologists that
the hurricane seasons will be more active, it is vital to have the cables
underground in order to ensure a quick recovery of the economy of the
island. The Island Government will submit the aforementioned as a priority
project for the reconstruction and development phase of the island.
Cable TV
Cable TV service at the moment is being restored throughout the island. By
mid-December a large percentage of cable tv viewers would have been
reconnected.
Water Production
Technicians from Aqua Design Ionics Water Plant were on the island during
the first week of October to ascertain the damage suffered to their
operation at the Fort Bay Harbour. The plant sustained moderate to heavy
damage and parts would have to come in from St. Maarten. The 15.000 gallon
Single Pass Sea Water Reverse Osmosis plant is now fully operational. The
plant sells water to the GEBE Power Plant, the dive shops, private
residents and the tourism sector.
Airport Terminal Building Temporarily Repaired
Financing has been approved by the Dutch Government to make temporary
repairs to the Juancho Yrausquin Airport at Flat Point. The roof and
sun-shaded areas of the Terminal Building were destroyed by Hurricane
Georges and has now been replaced. A temporary Control Tower/Fire Station
will also be constructed. Windward Island Airways (WINAIR) is making its
five-daily flights to Saba and has been carrying out a normal schedule
since the end of September.
The bidding process for the third phase of the airport project that entails
the construction of a new Terminal Building that would include a Control
Tower/Fire Station will start soon. Construction will take nine months
before the people is completed and put into use.
Commissioner of Tourism, Steve Hassell, is pleased that funds were approved
so quickly and that the same facilitation of funds will also take place for
other government buildings. The temporary repairs to the airport
facilities the Commissioner stated is also important for the upcoming
tourism season.
Harbour Facilities/Inter-island Ferry Service
The harbour facilities at the Fort Harbour is operational and sustained
minor damage. Cargo vessels make their weekly call to the island and
offload produce for the grocery stores. The dive boats are also using the
facilities to take their divers out to the different dive locations while
fishermen have resumed their fishing activities. The two ferry's that run
between St. Maarten and Saba on a weekly basis, namely The Edge and The
Voyager will be operational for the tourist season. The Edge did make
several trips during the month of October and thereafter was on dry dock
for some maintenance.
Saba Disaster Relief Fund Open
Those interested in helping the hurricane victims, monetary donations can
be made to the following bank account numbers: Antilles Banking Corporation
account #2101790851; on Curacao, the Bank of the Netherlands Antilles,
account #381307010 ANG/USD; and in the U.S.A., Citi Bank international New
York, ABA routing #021000089 account #36019117.
Back to School
Students from the primary and secondary schools are now back in class after
being out for two weeks. Classes started on Monday October 5th. The
objective is to have things return back to normal as soon as possible.
From some preliminary reports, things have been going well and the students
are making the best of it with the facilities that they are presently
using. The reconstruction of the schools will be starting shortly.
Dive Sector/First Divers Arrived
The first group of 12 divers arrived on the island with Motor Vessel the
Edge from St. Maarten on Wednesday September 30th. According to Capt.
Robert Bailey, the divers had a wonderful experience diving in the Saba
Marine Park. Another group of divers arrived on the island via Windward
Islands Airways on Thursday October 1st from St. Maarten. The three dive
shops are operational, namely Sea Saba, Saba Deep and Saba Reef Divers.
The dive sites are also in excellent condition.
Nature Recovering/Nature Trails Ready
According to Trail Guide James Johnson, he expects that all trails will be
ready in January. Hurricane Georges wreaked havoc on nature and destroyed
most of the trail network that has been built. However, nature has made a
remarkable comeback from all the rain in the past weeks and the major
trails have been reopened.
At the moment a new trail is being worked on which is to be called "All Too
Far Trail." The trail is from the old Sulpher Mine up to Sandy Cruz. The
work is being carried out by Frank Granger, Ernest Hassell, Vivian Hassell
and Robert Peterson. This trail is expected to be ready for the official
start of the tourist season mid-December. Work on this new trail had
commenced at the beginning of September.
The trails that are presently in use are: Mount Scenery, Rendevouz,
Crispeen Trail, and Buds Mountain. The Sandy Cruz Trail is expected to be
ready in the next two weeks. This part of the island where nature is
concerned, according to James Johnson remained intact.
James also pointed out that the students from the Saba University School of
Medicine have been very much involved in keeping the trails clean and
assisting with the opening up of new trails. They have been doing this
over a period of two years volunteering their time on weekends to come out
and work on Saturdays. On average 10-students are involved. The person
responsible for organizing this is Faculty member Harold Dunsford. James
said that the students have been doing a great job and their voluntary
assistance is very much appreciated.
In January a group of Park Managers from Canada will be coming to Saba to
assist with the trail network development on Saba. They will come in two
groups of six and spend each two weeks on the island volunteering their
time. James also stated that he got word on Thursday from the Chairman of
the Saba Conservation Foundation, Tom van't Hof who is presently in
Holland, that funding has been approved to repair the trail network system
on the island.
Commissioner of Tourism, Steve Hassell, is very pleased that the main trail
network is open and that everything will be ready for the tourist season.
"Hiking is a developing specialized area of our tourism product which is
being developed. Requests from tourists abroad has come concerning the
state of the trail network for hiking, and I am sure they will be happy to
hear that things are progressing well and the major trails are already
open."
Roddy Heyliger
Communications Consultant
sabagis@hotmail.com
www.saba-today.com/gis
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1998 20:59:21 -0300
From: Roddy Heyliger (sabagis@hotmail.com)
Subject: Latest information from the Island Territory of Saba - Saba GIS
A Current State of Affairs - Post Hurricane Georges
From the Saba Government Information Service (SGIS)
E-mail:sabagis@hotmail.com
Prepared by Communications Consultant Roddy Heyliger
For Immediate Release: Friday October 16, 1998
GEBE - Restoration of Electricity
On Tuesday evening October 6th, electricity was restored to the village of
Hell's Gate. As of Wednesday October 7th, the entire island had
electricity. There is electricity from one end of the island to the next.
It took two weeks and one day of hard work and lots of manpower and many
man-hours to restore electricity throughout the island. Commissioner of
GEBE Affairs, Steve Hassell has much praise for the work that has been done
by all concerned.
"I would like to thank the local GEBE Management and staff; employees from
Curacao's Kodela; Aruba's ELMAR; Mr. Brookson from GEBE St. Maarten; the
staff of BBW; and those from the private sector who assisted, for their
hard work and dedication on behalf of the people of Saba. Everybody worked
tirelessly to get electricity back throughout the island in a record time
seeing the extent of the damage that was done to the electrical network.
"A complete section of the electrical grid that runs from the village of
St. John's to Windwardside had to be replaced. New lamp poles had to be
planted and high-tension lines put up. This job wasn't an easy one, but
due to the professionalism displayed, the work was done in record time in
this area," a proud Commissioner Hassell stated.
Antelecom/SATEL - Restoration of Telecommunications
Technicians have been busy on a daily basis since the passing of Mighty
Georges in re-establishing telephone communications throughout the island.
On Wednesday October 14th approximately, 90% of the island telephone
network was restored. The complete network according to Antelecom Manager
Jeffrey de la Combe, weather permitting should be by Saturday October 17th
100% operational The Executive Council would like to say that the telephone
technicians have been doing a great job and thanks them on behalf of the
people of Saba.
COMMISSIONER MEETS WITH HOTELIERS
Commissioner of Tourism, Steve Hassell on Monday October 12th met with
several hoteliers in an information exchange session. Hassell informed
them that the Saba Small Business Stimulation Fund would be used to issue
soft loans. "This was a very important issue for the business community.
Another issue is the burying of electrical and telecommunication cables as
soon as possible. The recovery process after a hurricane is very important
in order to get the economic engine of the island back up and running.
Here on Saba we have been very successful in doing that. Saba is back in
business and tourist are most welcome to visit the Unspoiled Queen again.
"As a matter of fact a number of divers have visited the island and have
enjoyed diving the reefs of Saba. The villages have been cleaned up of
debris, hotels are back in business with the exception of Captains
Quarters, which has two rooms and a cottage available. The restaurants are
open, as well as the gift shops, and the ladies who sell Saba Lace and Saba
Spice are ready to greet tourists," Hassell said on Wednesday.
Hoteliers were also concerned about the high insurance premiums and fear
that these premiums will once again go up due to the devastation that was
caused in the Caribbean. "The business community would like to see the
creation of a disaster fund where funds could be made available to
properties that sustain damage from a hurricane. The hoteliers would also
like to see the building ordinance implemented as soon as possible and that
it is followed strictly," the Commissioner said.
The Commissioner of Tourism is also planning a meeting with the diving
community, which he hopes can take place before the end of October.
HOTELS, RESTAURANTS IN SABA BACK TO BUSINESS
All hotels and restaurants on the island are back to business and open for
tourists, with exception of Captain's Quarters, spokespersons for the Saba
Hotel and Tourism Association, Chairman Dean Johnson and Gied Mommers said
on Monday. Hurricane Georges hit Captain's Quarter so badly that
operation's as a full service resort for the 1998/99 season had to be
suspended and only two rooms and the restaurant/bar are available. All
other hotels on the island are welcoming guests as usual, the two
spokespersons emphasized.
Future Cabling Underground
The Island Government of Saba sees it as a priority to have the electrical
and telecommunication cables underground. Based on the experience with
Hurricane Georges, and also being aware of reports from meteorologists that
the hurricane seasons will be more active, it is vital to have the cables
underground in order to ensure a quick recovery of the economy of the
island. The Island Government will submit the aforementioned as a priority
project for the reconstruction and development phase of the island.
Water Production
Technicians from Aqua Design Ionics Water Plant were on the island during
the first week of October to ascertain the damage suffered to their
operation at the Fort Bay Harbour. The plant sustained moderate to heavy
damage and parts would have to come in from St. Maarten. The 15.000 gallon
Single Pass Sea Water Reverse Osmosis plant is now operational. The plant
sells water to the GEBE Power Plant, the dive shops, private residents and
the tourism sector.
Funding Approved for Temporary Repairs
Financing has been approved by the Dutch Government to make temporary
repairs to the Juancho Yrausquin Airport at Flat Point. The roof and
sun-shaded areas of the Terminal Building were destroyed by Hurricane
Georges and will now be replaced. A temporary Control Tower/Fire Station
will also be constructed.
The present contractor, Windward Roads Infrastructure, who is involved with
the second phase of the Airport Project already ordered the building
material of which some have already arrived. Work will start immediately
ensuring that resident travelers and tourists will have a comfortable place
to wait while awaiting their flight.
The bidding process for the third phase of the airport project that entails
the construction of a new Terminal Building that would include a Control
Tower/Fire Station will start soon. Construction will take nine months
before the people is completed and put into use.
Commissioner of Tourism, Steve Hassell, is pleased that funds were approved
so quickly and that the same facilitation of funds will also take place for
other government buildings. The temporary repairs to the airport
facilities the Commissioner stated is also important for the upcoming
tourism season.
Saba Disaster Relief Fund Open
Those interested in helping the hurricane victims, monetary donations can
be made to the following bank account numbers: Antilles Banking Corporation
account #2101790851; on Curacao, the Bank of the Netherlands Antilles,
account #381307010 ANG/USD; and in the U.S.A., Citi Bank international New
York, ABA routing #021000089 account #36019117.
Back to School
Students from the primary and secondary schools are now back in class after
being out for two weeks. Classes started on Monday October 5th. The
objective is to have things return back to normal as soon as possible.
From some preliminary reports, things have been going well and the students
are making the best of it with the facilities that they are presently
using. The Commissioner of Education, Christina ten Brink-Charles was
recently presented with a check from the insurance company for repairs at
the Sacred Heart School on St. John's.
First Divers Arrived
The first group of 12 divers arrived on the island with Motor Vessel the
Edge from St. Maarten last week Wednesday September 30th. According to the
Capt. Robert Bailey, the divers had a wonderful experience diving in the
Saba Marine Park. Another group of divers arrived on the island via
Windward Islands Airways on Thursday October 1st from St. Maarten.
Nature Recovering
Nature is recovering quite well. New leaves can be seen on the trees, but
it will take a long time for the rain forest and other green areas to
return to almost a similar state as before the hurricane. Damaged
sustained was severe, but nature tends to recover and take care of itself
as it has done for millions of years.
Roddy Heyliger
sabagis@hotmail.com
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 13:41:21 -0400
From: Bob Thompson (bobt@saba-today.com)
Website: http://www.saba-today.com
Re: Any word on how Saba fared ? (posted on rec.travel.caribbean)
Saba most definitely did not fare well and I'm still here (and in desperate
need of a long hot shower). Power has yet to be restored to the entire
island although it has been in The Bottom. Nevertheless, the Royal Dutch
Marines, Coast Gaurd and Fire Departments have done an excellent job in
removing the debris and we're bouncing back. At the same time, the med
school students are to be commneded for their part in helping to remove the
debris. Hardest hit hotels were Captains Quarters and Scouts. The folks from
GEBE are working tirelessly to restore power. Among the the hardest hit were
also the Comprehensive School and Elementary School (both have been
destroyed for all practical purposes). The official island government press
release has been posted here and is also available on
www.saba-today.com/news. Dive shops are fully operational and early reports
are that the reefs fared extremely well. All old-timers are saying this was
the worst in memory, passing just eight miles south of Saba. While winds
were expected to be 105 mph, Saba's elevated topography experienced recorded
wind gusts of up to 180 mph and "tornado-like" conditions which caused most
of the damage. Indeed when viewing the damage from our many vantage points,
it appears as a tornado struck since the damage is very selective and very
un-hurricane like.
Press Release - Island Territory of Saba
Saba Government Information Services (SGIS)
Roddy Heyliger, Communications Consultant SGIS
For Immediate Release: Sunday September 27, 1998
Saba, the Unspoiled Queen in the Dutch Caribbean is just about back on
track. The island was devastated by Hurricane Georges, but the recovery
process enacted thereafter has been in full swing. The tourism
infrastructure on the island sustained damage, but the majority of
businesses (hotels, supermarkets, restaurants, dive shops, museum,
cottage industry) will be operational by mid-October. However, many
properties are currently ready for when the first guests arrive. The
first ferry from St. Maarten is tentatively scheduled to arrive on
Wednesday, September 30, at the Fort Bay Harbour.
Modes of Transportation to the Island.
Getting to the island is no problem. The airline, Winair, is already
carrying out daily flights to the Jauncho Yrasquin Airport at Flat
Point. The terminal building sustained damage, but temporary repairs
have been made, and the government has made it a priority that
construction of the new terminal building start as soon as possible. The
Captain L.A.I Chance Peir at the Fort Bay Harbour is also ready to
accomodate ferrys and yachts.
The Dive Sector.
A survey has been carried out by the Saba Marine Park in relation to the
reefs. The reefs sustained minor damage and otherwise are in great
shape. The three dive shops, Sea Saba, Saba Deep and Saba Reef Divers,
are fully operational and ready to take out their first guests.
Nature.
The natural environment was devastated by Hurricane Georges and will
take some time to recover. The nature trail to Mt. Scenery has been
cleared and is in use. Work on other trails throughout the island is in
the planning stages.
Supporting Businesses.
Gift shops, the Cottage Industry (Saba Lace, Saba Spice) and Restaurants
are also in a state of readiness for guests. The Museum, a showcase for
the island's history, sustained minor damage, but is operational. Those
who work in the cottage industries such as Saba Spice and Saba Lace are
also ready to sell their products.
Electricity/Telecommunications.
Electricity and the telephone system are being restored to the different
villages. Repairs are ongoing on the high tension lines, low tension
lines and house connections. At the moment, parts of The Bottom have
electricity. Work crews are busy working on the high tension lines
between the village of St. John's and Windwardside. The next stage will
be from Windwardside to Hell's Gate. This work is progressing very well
due to the hard work of GEBE staff and others. The telephone network is
also being restored and a number of phones are already in operation. The
employees of Satel and Antelecom are working very hard to get the
network totally functional within the shortest period of time.
Water.
The drinking water situation on the island is also being worked on. At
the moment, residents are boiling their water which comes from the
cisterns and bottled water is being used as well. The authorities hope
to have the water plant operational within a short period.
Housing.
One fifth of the homes on the island have sustaine serious damage. Many
of the homes are covered with tarpaulin until restoration work can
begin. Displaced homeowners are staying with friends and family.
Road Network.
All roads are accessible and in good shape. The debris that was blocking
the roads was cleared right after the passing of the hurricane.
Island-Wide Cleanliness.
The majority of debris on the island has been removed. Certain areas
still need attention, but much headway has been made in the area with
the assistance of residents, medical students and other relief workers.
Medical Services.
The Hospital and Pharmacy are fully operational, and the Pharmacy has
been restocked with medication.
Signed,
The Lt. Governor of the Island Territory of Saba
S.A.E. Sorton
From the Saba Tourist Bureau (http://www.turq.com/saba)
Status of Saba after Hurricane Georges
SABA, Netherlands Antilles -- September 28, 1998 -- The Island
Territory of Saba reports that Saba was devastated by Hurricane
Georges, but is in a full swing recovery process and just about back
on track. The tourism infrastructure sustained damage, but most
businesses (hotels, supermarkets, restaurants, dive shops, gift shops,
museum) will be operational by mid-October.
All regular modes of transportation to Saba are operating. Windward
Islands Airways has resumed daily flights into the JuanchoYrausquin
Airport at Flat Point, Saba. The airport terminal building sustained
damage, but temporary repairs have been made and the government has
made it a priority to commence construction of the new terminal
building as soon as possible. The Captain L.A.I. Chance Pier at the
Fort Bay Harbor is also ready to accommodate boats and yachts. The
Edge, a passenger ferry from St. Maarten is scheduled to resume
service as of Wednesday, September 30.
Most hotels survived intact and did not sustain severe damage.
Seventy-six (76%) percent of rooms are operational. Captain's
Quarters, Scout's Place, located in the village of Windwardside,
sustained the most damage, but have some rooms available and expect to
be fully operational by December 15. All the rooms at the following
hotel/inns are currently available for occupancy: Juliana's, Cottage
Club, Willard's, The Gate House, Queen's Gardens Resort, Cranston's
Antique Inn. Guido's Place will be back by the end of October. No
reports about El Momo are currently available.
Electricity and Telecommunications are currently being restored to the
villages in stages. Sections of the capital village, The Bottom,
currently have power, while work crews are repairing high and low
tension lines from St. John's and Windwardside and then onto Hell's
Gate. Telephone connections are being restored and some are currently
operational. The drinking water situation is under control with
bottled water being used and authorities expecting to have the water
plant operational again very shortly.
Diving -- An inspection of the reefs has been carried out by the Saba
Marine Park. Reports indicate that the reefs at dive sites over 30/40
feet are in good condition, and reefs at a shallow depth sustained
some minor damage. The three professional dive shops, Sea Saba, Saba
Deep and Saba Reef Divers are all fully operational.
Nature -- The natural environment was devastated by Hurricane Georges
and will take some time to fully recover. The nature trail to Mount
Scenery has been cleared and is in use. Work on other trails
throughout the island is in the planning process.
Restaurants sustained minimal to serious damage with most expected to
be operational by the end of October at the earliest and others at the
end of November.
Gift shops and Saba Lace and Saba Spice makers are all in a state of
readiness for tourists. The Museum, a showcase of the island's history
and culture, sustained minor damage, but is operational.
All roads are accessible and are in good shape. The hospital and
pharmacy are both fully operational and fully restocked with
medication.
For additional information about Saba, contact the Saba Tourist
Office, 1704 Costa Del Sol, Boca Raton, FL 33432 or P.O. Box 6322,
Boca Raton, FL 33427; Telephone: 800-722-2394; 561-394-8580; Fax:
561-394-4595; E-mail: sabatourism@juno.com; Web Site:
www.turq.com/saba/.
Note: The information in this report was authorized by the Lt.
Governor of the Island Territory of Saba, S.A. Sorton, and compiled
with the cooperation of the office of the Lt. Governor of the Island
Territory of St. Maarten and the Saba Government Information Service.
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 16:38:09 -0400
From: Susan Stewart (dutchtreat@carol.net)
Subject: Saba hurricane relief efforts!
Dear Gert van Dijken,
Thank you very much for having this website out there for us so we can all
contact each other regarding our families/friends on the Islands.
Since my initial information on Tuesday, September 22, 1998 about the Island of
saba, I have been in constant contact with my family on Saba as well as
answering all of the e-mail that I have received from many people throughout
the US. I hope that I have been able to help those that had not been able to
get in contact with their family/friends on Saba.
To update everyone on the conditions on the island....The phones are slowly
being fixed as well as some of the power. The goal was to get power to the
hospital in The Bottom. I believe that goal was reached this week or will be
some time this week. Only a small part of The Bottom has power. The rest of
the villages won't receive power for several weeks, if not, months. They have
a few generators that they are using throughout some of the villages. Can you
imagine living by oil lamps or candle light for several weeks/months? Not
Fun!!
A soup kitchen has been set up to help feed everyone that is working or have no
way of cooking. They were feeding several hundred a day.
The Dutch Marines brought in many tarps and most roofs are now secured with a
tarp. Material is slowly coming in and several carpenters were being sent in
from Aruba to help repair the roofs. Even the roofs that stayed on through the
storm are in need of work. This dreadfull hurricane did not leave one building
untouched.
The medical students are trying to do their school work despite all that is
going on around them. They gave them last Friday of to help with clean-up,
etc. My sister said that they (the students) felt so much better to be able to
help take care of the island. It made them feel more a part of the island and
it's people.
Supplies are slowly coming in...but they will not be enough to last for several
months? Many people have asked how they can help! I am putting together a
relief effort to send supplies to Saba. Supplies that are needed are: (to
name a few)
'Non-breakable ' and 'Non-perishable' Items
* Bottled water
* Canned items such as: Soup, vegies, evaporated milk, tuna fish, canned meats,
etc., etc.
* Rice, sugar, noodles, peanut butter coffee, tea, etc.
* Paper products: paper plates, napkins, cups, plastic silverware, toilet
paper, pampers, etc.
* Wild bird seed, can cat & dog food, hummingbird mix, etc.
* Small plastic gas cans, generators, etc.
* Clothing items are not needed.
* Cash donations will be used to purchase items that they need as well as help
with container shipping fees. I have a trucking company that is willing to
truck the items to the container site in Florida for free. I am working on
getting the shipping cost donated as well.
If you are interested on sending donations to help with the Saba relief effort,
please e-mail me at dutchtreat@carol.net for further information.
I appreciate your help and look forward to many e-mails on the Saba relief
efforts. Saba has always been there for us when we were in need of a place to
go and escape from this busy world...and now it needs our help. Please help me
help the people of Saba to get this little Dutch Island back to the LUSH,
TROPICAL PARADISE it once was!
Lori Hassell
Clemson, South Carolina
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 18:35:05 -0400
From: Kinda
Subject: Saba update
I talked to my aunt & cousin earlier & they said that although the phones
are not all up & running yet, the Bottom has electricity & they are
hoping other villages will also soon. They had some extra help come in
from Sint Maarten & Curacao they said they've been working as late as 1
am to help get things straightened out again. They are planning on
opening the school sometime next week.
[Mon, 28 Sep 1998 10:28EDT] - Just spoke to the Overheid Voorlichtings Dienst ('Government Information Service') on Curacao about the current situation on Saba and Statia. As we know by know the damage is extensive, but on the good side: there were no fatalities! The damage has been assessed and emergency aid is already flowing in. Homes are being repaired as we speak. In most areas phone and power have already been restored, with help of engineers flown in from Curacao and St.Maarten. No special disasterfund has been established since there were enough funds available from other special sources. Statia was not as hard hit as Saba. About 40 homes sustained considerable damage. The close community of these islands have taken good care of these temporarily 'homeless' people. Many people were also wondering about the rainforest on Saba. During the storm seawater was spread over the whole island, which, after the sun came back, partly 'burnt' some of the vegetation. Rain however, will wash the salt away, and it is expected that nature will restore itself quickly. New buds on plants and trees are already visible; plants grow fast in the tropics! In conclusion, these two islands have been hard hit, but are recovering quickly. -Gert
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 11:48:26 -0300 From: Bret & Nyna Burright (burright@sintmaarten.net) Subject: Re: St. Eustatius [...] The Dutch Marine's are here helping to clean up the island and power is being restored to about 10% of the homes each day. More and more people are also getting their phone systems back in order, enabling them to make contact with loved ones. We seem to be recovering much quicker than I had anticipated, although it will be quite awhile before things are really back to normal. Feel free to let me know if you need any more information. Nyna
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 21:33:28 -0300 From: Bret & Nyna Burright (burright@sintmaarten.net) Subject: Re: St. Eustatius I am a resident on the island of St. Eustatius (Statia) and we have had major damage to the island from Hurricane George. There are a lot of homes without roofs and a few that collapsed all together. The estimate from our Lt. Governor during a radio broadcast was about 10% or 50 homes that suffered major damage due to losing their roofs. For such a small island, this is a rather large number. The most damage seems to be in Golden Rock and up Lampe Weg. We also seem to have had very high seas due to the water line that can be seen near the cliffs on the bay on the Caribbean side. There is virtually no vegetation left, large trees were uprooted, thereby blocking the roads. A lot of telephone and electricity poles are down. Miraculously, much of the island has had electricity and telephones reconnected as of Wednesday (9/23). As in Saba, many residents of Statia also feel that the winds were much higher than the reported 110 mph......more like 175 mph. We also feel that some tornadoes were spawned due to the strange path of roofing damages. It was also reported by our Lt. Governor that there are no casualties or injuries on Statia......thank goodness. This storm, both during and the aftermath, seems to be much, much worse than Luis was in '95. But, on the bright side, we seem to be coming back rather quickly (much quicker than anticipated). Anyone having any specific questions regarding the status of Statia can feel free to email me at burright@sintmaarten.net and I will be happy to respond. Nyna Burright
Date: Wed, 23 Sep 98 11:04:40 -0700 From: Cindy Ballenger (ballenger@hickory.net) Subject: Georges and Saba I just spoke to Bill Froelich who lives in Pyramid House on Saba. (Windwardside). He said his phone was restored today, so there may be others reachable now. Damage as described in other posts, and power will probably be out for a month because the power plant was damaged. Debris everywhere, but everyone is OK.
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 21:44:14 -0400 From: Fred Capello (fcapello@cura.net) Subject: Latest available news On Monday afternoon, a plane of the Royal Dutch Navy flew over Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba. On board were among others, the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles and also the Prime Minister of that same country. The plane left from Curaçao and returned to this island that same evening. The weather conditions on Monday afternoon were still too poor to allow the plane to land on any of the Leeward Islands. The Governor and Prime Minister told during a press conference how the island looked from above. The cloud bases were still too low at that time to allow them to fly directly over the mountainous Saba. Hurricane Georges caused a lot of material damage on especially the tiny volcanic island of Saba. Many houses lost their roofs and the local hospital had suffered major damage. Fortunately, there were no casualties and apparently, only a few people were slightly injured. Most of the phones on the island were not working but some phone contact was possible. On Tuesday, a frigate of the Dutch Navy reached the Saba area and a few marines were put by helicopter on the island. These marines among others were equipped with telecommunication gear to improve the connection with the disaster relief headquarters on the main island of Curaçao. Since this frigate isn't able to come close to the coast, small boats brought more marines ashore. About 10 to 18 percent of all houses and buildings in Saba have been severely damaged, according to a former politician who spoke with an editor of a local newspaper in Curaçao. Other houses also suffered minor damage, according to this same person. The two schools on this tiny island were also severely damaged and the two local churches suffered too. One of the churches lost all of its roof and the other one only part of it. A police station also lost the roof while the small power station on the island was damaged as the building surrounding it, caved in. It could take a month before all Sabans have electrical power again. During the passage of Georges, the local hospital first had a fire in their generator, then the roof was blown way. The patients were evacuated to a senior citizens home. After a while they had to be moved again when the senior citizens home's roof also was gone.... The main building at the local airport also lost part of its roof. That's not a calamity since this building is being replaced soon by a new one. Several cars were severely damaged by falling trees, phone poles and flying debris. Meanwhile, the local roads have been cleared of debris while the airport was being cleaned up. The local population has been reacting in a very positive and cooperative way. On the other hand, they seem to be in a kind of shock situation and some people may need some psychological assistance. The island of Sint Eustatius (Statia) could until Tuesday only be contacted by military telecommunications equipment which the Dutch marines had brought to the island. Not much news about damaged houses and buildings on that island was available until Tuesday evening. No deaths or severe injuries had been reported on Statia either. A plane of the Royal Dutch Airforce was able to land on late Monday afternoon on Statia's airport. It contained about a dozen Dutch marines who stayed behind to assist the locals and other marines who had been sent to this island before the arrival of Georges. As more news comes in from Statia, it will appear on these pages. The island of Sint Maarten fared much better than during the passage of Luis. The eye of Georges stayed farther away from this island so the damage wasn't too bad. Still, the roads were covered with lots of debris and a few houses and buildings suffered minor to moderate damage. Most of the hotels also escaped the kind of severe damage that hurricane Luis had caused on September 5, 1995. On Tuesday most of the island was still without electrical power. In areas with subterranean power cables, power was restored on Tuesday. It could however take a month before the whole island is reconnected again.
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