TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Kentucky Air Guard C130s on Ground at PJIA

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/247569/ken...-hurricane-irma

Will aid us evacuees

My daughter and boyfriend just landed in San Juan, PR. They said they got out on US military planes. Thank you Kentucky Air Guard!

They are part of a USAF special operations unit with very special training and equipment to allow recovery and evacuations from areas with no airport facilities or, as in this case, with severly damaged facilities. I suspect the airlift will grow significantly over the next few days.

Thank God for the US military service personnel. It makes me so happy to know we are getting our people out safely. This is why I am proud to be an American!! God bless the USA

As a parent myself, I can only imagine how happy you must have been to get this communication. And oh, the stories they will have to share.... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Job well Done Ladies and Gentlemen. Complete your mission and return safely. This is a prime example of U.S. service personnel doing the job they trained to do, in securing and protecting Americans. As a former Marine I am very proud of you, and send you a heartfelt pat on the back.

Job well done proud of all who helped ,we have the equipment and the people who have the know how .

Our men and women from Kentucky are go getters.

State Dept. says as of today some 500 U.S. citizens have been evacuated with the help of the U.S. Dept. of Defense.
I assume this will start to accelerate in numbers tomorrow.

However, they say do not just go to the airport, but rather shelter in place. For individuals' to get on the evacuation list, I'd suggest to get ones name on the registered list as mentioned in the other thread:

http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/s...e=0#Post1744010


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No military affiliation here, but as an American, I am also darned proud of our military and the organizations such as Samaritans Purse and others who have already started shouldering the load of helping out not just their fellow Americans but those residing on the island of St. Martin and across all the islands effected by these storms. As the song goes, "God Bless the USA," and all those suffering across the Caribbean tonight. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Friends staying at a Maho hotel. They were told by staff to stay in their rooms with the door locked due to unsafe conditions. Looting in their hotel so they stayed in room. Last night someone came to their door and told them to pack one small bag and come with them! Safely taken to Puerto Rico by our Air Force. They felt very unsafe in the hotel because of looting in the hotel.

Wow, a good reason to register for sure.

Way to go to the troops who brought them out.

STATEMENT FROM SONESTA SINT MAARTEN RESORTS
RE: HURRICANE IRMA AFTERMATH
[SEPTEMBER 9, 2017, 6:30AM EST]
Please be advised that communication is sporadic and we are providing you with factually accurate information at the time of receiving it. Information in these statements is relayed to the public within 30 minutes of receiving it. We are speaking directly with ownership and management of the Sonesta Sint Maarten Resorts on the ground on the island.
We understand that you are concerned about your loved ones and it is important to understand that our teams on the ground are concerned too. We all are; this is a difficult time and we are sensitive to your concerns, however it is our priority that guests of our resorts remain safe and secure and their evacuation off the island is a priority. They are in the most comfortable conditions available and they are all provided with security, food, and water. We have diesel fuel for generators to cook food and provide some electricity. Any reports of guests being looted under our care are simply not true. Please let’s all try to help control the messaging together, work closely as a compassionate and caring global society, and make evacuation and safe the priority.
Sonesta Sint Maarten resorts can confirm that Jonathan Falwell, who was an in-house guest of Sonesta Ocean Point Resort contacted Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational evangelical United States-based Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world, to provide a DC-8 with supplies and a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) on Friday, 8 September 2017. There were 27 guests of Sonesta Sint Maarten Resorts also on that aircraft evacuated which consisted of the elderly, anyone with a medical condition, women and children first. We would like to thank Samaritans Purse President Franklin Graham and Jonathan Falwell for their efforts.
We can also confirm that 25 United States citizens who were guests of Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort were evacuated on a United States C130 military aircraft on Friday, 8 September at sundown. We do not have the list at this time. We have been advised that another evacuation is imminent but do not have any further confirmation.
Today, Saturday, 9 September 2017, we have organized a commercial aircraft to further the evacuation of the remaining guests at Sonesta Great Bay and more guests from Sonesta Maho Beach Resort. This plane will depart for Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The Dutch Marines have been able to dock a ship and get flights in from Curacao so more troops and supplies are on the ground in Sint Maarten.
The Dutch Marines are in control of the airport and any airline, charity organization or airline who wishes to send an aircraft with supplies, relief teams, etc. should contact the Headquarters of the Dutch Naval Operations based in Curacao at +599 946 37465.
We are currently bracing for Hurricane Jose which is expected to pass over the southwest portion of the island; it is expected that we will experience tropical storm force winds.
Due to the damages the resorts suffered, all further reservations are cancelled and all three resorts will be closed until further notice.
All pre-paid reservations on future stays will be refunded as soon as we can restore operations, pending future updates and situation assessment. All other reservations will be treated per the cancellation policy of the reservation. Please call 1-800-SONESTA if you booked directly or contact your travel agent.
We are keeping consumers informed via our website at: www.sonesta.com/stmaarten and our FaceBook pages at:
https://www.facebook.com/SonestaStMaarten/
https://www.facebook.com/oceanpointresortsxm/
https://www.facebook.com/greatbaybeachresort/
Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa
Sonesta Ocean Point Resort
Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort, Casino & Spa

It has been reported than some 1,200 American have been air evacuated thru Saturday by C-130 aircraft from the Kentucky, the New York and the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.

Hope there are many more today.