Simple solutions

When disaster hits you have one big advantage: everybody becomes available to give free advice. Such is the case after Hurricane Irma and the Dutch daily Trouw did the island a favor by asking four experts about their opinion for the reconstruction of St. Maarten. (See our article: Dutch experts in Trouw: “Making a house hurricane proof does not have to be that costly”).

If it is indeed so, as these experts say, that a few hundred dollars per home could make all the difference, there is every reason to make these solutions available to all home owners on the island.

The Dutch Red Cross extends a helping hand by issuing vouchers for the purchase of the necessary materials but it should not stop there. Those who do not qualify for those vouchers should have access to the same materials, in particular storm anchors.

The fewer building are blown apart in the next hurricane, the better it is for everyone.

We therefore urge those who will be in charge of the reconstruction efforts to keep the advice of the Dutch experts in mind – and apply them wherever this is deemed useful.