Horror scenario

By Hilbert Haar

The estimate of 6,000 unemployed citizens in the wake of Hurricane Irma is a classic horror scenario for St. Maarten. And mind you – this is only the number for the Dutch side of the island. On the French side, President Daniel Gibbs has earlier mentioned an expected unemployment rate of 65 percent.

While we do not know how many jobless citizens this 65 percent represents, it is safe to assume that the number will be close to the 6,000 unemployed the labor office on the Dutch side expects.

Fixing roofs and houses will of course help affected families, but a fixed roof does not put bread on the table, let alone butter.

So what is this army of unemployed citizens going to do to survive? That’s the 64,000 dollar question.

For sure some – but not all – will turn to a life of crime. Mortgage-prostitution to make ends meet – horrible as this perspective sounds – is also a possibility. Those with still some money behind may leave the island.

One thing is certain: the government will not be able to support all these jobless citizens over a longer period of time. There simply is not enough money around for such a huge social venture.

We hear therefore loud and clear what Dennis Richardson, the chairman of the workgroup National Recovery Plan told us: investing in the economy is a priority.

And because hotels are predominantly out of business for quite some time, the focus is now on the cruise industry. Making sure that those cruise ships return is crucial for economic recovery, Richardson says, and we agree – if only because we do not see any other reasonable alternative.

We’ve read some rather optimistic messages on sites that have a vested interest in taking people to St. Maarten. These messages suggest that all is well in Philipsburg and that the island is ready to receive visitors again.

Sure, we have water, electricity, sun and beaches; and the entrepreneurs in the heart of town are doing their utmost to get their businesses up and running again. But the first visitors to arrive on the island after the hurricane will have to reckon with not-so-pleasant experiences like shuttered down store windows and signs of destruction all around.

This is not to say that people should not come to the island; but if it were up to me, I would not blow their expectations sky high.

Let’s be realistic and tell our future visitors what it is really like here. We will welcome them, of course, and we will do our utmost to make their stay here bearable. We should also make clear that we need these visitors – to create jobs, to generate income and – basically – to give the Friendly Island a realistic chance to get back on its feet again.

Offering beach excursions sounds like a plan and the fact that the Rainforest Adventure Park is open helps too. From the top of Sentry Hill our visitors will get a splendid view of St. Maarten and its surroundings.

Most of all, we ought to make sure that St. Maarten remains a safe place – for citizens and visitors alike. To achieve that, we need to see lots of police officers on the road – every day and every night. This way, the men and women in blue will be at the forefront of St. Maarten’s recovery efforts.