Thousands of Homes of Poor and needy people still need repair.

August 23, 2018

PHILIPSBURG:— Last week the Sint Maarten Development Fund finished the rebuilding of two (2) more homes of the one hundred (100) homes of their seniors home repair program. With pictures taken from the official handing of the keys the local press reported this happy moment for the two senior citizens, which had to live in shelters since the hurricane destroyed their homes. A few months ago the SMDF director Keith Franca was quoted in a local newspaper saying that “more houses can be added to the repair list if SMDF receives more funds from donors. SMDF is aware of the conditions and circumstances that many are in and would do anything to support the country’s recovery, but their abilities are contingent upon the financing it received”. Months after the hurricanes seniors interviewed by the Sint Maarten Anti-Poverty Platform were still awaiting help to repair their homes. According to the National Recovery Plan Report the Sint Maarten government made known worldwide, that “initial assessments indicated that more than 80% of homes were damaged to some extent, with many destroyed or uninhabitable. Over 11,000 persons have damage to their homes requiring significant reconstruction or repair.” Based on the stock of dwellings during the Population and Housing Census of 2011, there were at least 13.000 homes when the hurricane passed. If 80% of these dwellings have been damaged, then we can calculate that at least 10,400 homes (80% of 13.000 homes) needed to be repaired!
DUTCH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN ONE YEAR ONLY FOR 300 HOMES
According to SMDF director Mr Keith Franca: “all of the funds for this project have been provided by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, who we are grateful to as it allows us to repair over 100 homes, but the needs extend far beyond what we can presently finance” The White and Yellow Cross Foundation also got Dutch funds to repair 45 homes of their clients in the districts. The UNDP had to reduce their home repair program to 150 homes, because the damage at the homes was greater than the UNDP had calculated. A more expensive and technical restoration was required in order to make the homes hurricane-proof. It appeared not possible to use unemployed persons and home owners in this process.” These three NGO’s worked on a total 300 homes! But the Dutch government knew that more than 9100 homes had to be repaired, and not 300 targeted in the early recovery phase, because in the first week of the disaster Dutch officials reported to the Associated Press that “up to 70% of the island houses on the Dutch side of St. Martin were badly damaged or destroyed when Hurricane Irma hit. Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk said many buildings on the island had roofs torn off by Irma.” Their percentages were based on the Dutch military assessment of the damaged houses in Sint Maarten by hurricane Irma! Their marines reported that the areas severely affected by hurricane Irma are the neighborhoods with houses of the poor and the needy in populated areas on Sint Maarten. Nevertheless the Minister of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations explained the members of the Dutch Second Chamber, that in total, WYC, SMDF and UNDP will restore some 300 homes of the most vulnerable in society. When does the Kingdom government guarantee the restoration of the other 9,000 homes of the citizens in this part of the Kingdom?

13.000 HOUSEHOLDS AFTER IRMA: HOME AND POVERTY CONDITIONS WORSE!
The Transparency International Report based on a study of the Dutch NIBUD institute for Bonaire concluded that in 2011 75% of the households in Sint Maarten could not survive with less than 2222 USD a month! This percentage of poor and needy households increased to 94% based on the results of the 2015 Household Budget Survey of the Statistical Department of the government of Sint Maarten, 13.160 households (94% of the 14.000 households in Sint Maarten) have less than 2222 USD a month. That was before Irma. With all the jobs lost and the prices jacked up after Irma, how can these 94% poor households rebuild their homes? How can they build back better and stronger? How can they build hurricane and earthquake resistant affordable housing? Where they will get the financial means, the material and the expertise to build affordable hurricane proof housing? If even the government of Sint Maarten has financial constraints because of the CFT and Kingdom government impositions , where we the people can get support to repair our homes and to develop Sint Maarten to dignified equal human living standards in the Kingdom of the Netherlands?
ONE YEAR AFTER IRMA EVALUATION

The Dutch 300 home repair contribution so far has been insufficient, unrealistic, and shows a gross neglect of the citizens in this part of the Kingdom! Samaritan Purse an evangelical Christian organization has facilitated repair of much more than 300 homes! To be exact, “a total of 386 houses were provided with support for repairs. Construction materials, bought locally, went to repair 278 houses, and 108 houses were contracted for repairs via churches”. Despite that, the Red Cross hardware store vouchers nor the Samaritan Purse home repair voucher program was not enough to repair the 10.000 structurally damaged homes. The Kingdom government must provide more substantial support to develop our country not to the level of before Irma, but to an equal development level in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Government wants us to commemorate on September the 6th where we were on 9.06 in the morning a year ago! We call upon everyone to reflect on how far we reached with the recovery process on Sint Maarten? How many people still need recovery assistance with their homes, with jobs, with their household income? Let us reflect on what still has to be done for the people of Sint Maarten. Do we have less households in poverty? The Sint Maarten Anti-Poverty Platform has asked the Council of Ministers and the Parliament of Sint Maarten for a meeting to get not only answers but concrete support to repair all homes, to eradicate the poverty of the 94% households, and to realize the right to development of the people of Sint Maarten.