TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Update for U.S. Citizens as of Sept. 16th, p.m.

"Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens: Avoid non-essential travel to Sint Maarten while Hurricane Irma recovery efforts are underway.

On Sep 9, 2017, Hurricane Irma struck Sint Maarten as a Category 5 hurricane, causing catastrophic damage to the island’s infrastructure. While the Government of Sint Maarten is working to restore order and security, hotel capacity is severely limited and large parts of the country are without power. Telephone and internet are partially operational with intermittent coverage. The water distribution network was damaged and, in some areas, supplies are limited to bottled drinking water. The hospital is operating but with diminished patient-intake capacity. The airport sustained significant damage. Once commercial flights resume, flight schedules may be limited. As with any disaster of this magnitude, mosquitos and mosquito-borne illnesses are likely. Lack of sanitation may lead to other health issues.

There is no U.S. Consulate on the island. All U.S. citizens, regardless of purpose of travel, are strongly encouraged to enroll their travel plans on our website, travel.state.gov, using the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP.state.gov). In addition, travelers should apprise family and friends in the United States of their whereabouts.

U.S. citizens in Sint Maarten in need of assistance can dial 911 locally. The Consular Section of the U.S. Consulate General Curacao, located at J.B. Gorsiraweg 1, can be contacted at + 599(9) 461-3066 during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) or by email at [email]ACSCuracao@state.gov.[/email] After-hours, in case of an emergency, U.S. citizens can call +599(9) 510-6870."


https://cw.usconsulate.gov/emergency-mes...s-are-underway/


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Another one for new storm "Maria".

https://cw.usconsulate.gov/emergency-mes...al-storm-maria/

Useful for those like us who were evacuated by US Govt.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/emergencies/crisis-support.html

thanks.

Wow, I learned quite a bit today on these few posts. Thank you very much for posting.

Good. But let's not dilute this pinned thread with posts that do not contain important information. Thanks.

another U.S. Govt. update:

"Dutch Sint Maarten:

Limited humanitarian and commercial airline evacuation flights continue to operate and provide evacuation services on a case by case basis. Evacuation flights to Curacao are currently being offered by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM on a daily basis. (These flights have been suspended for Tuesday, September 19th, but are scheduled to resume on Wednesday, September 20th.) Individuals interested in these flights who had not purchased a ticket previously on KLM, should book the ticket on the KLM website, via a travel agency, or at the KLM Contact Center in Sint Maarten. More information is available of KLM’s website.

French Saint Martin

Please see information for Sint Maarten, above. Local authorities report the border crossing between Saint Martin (French side) and Sint Maarten (Dutch side) will be closed at night. U.S. citizens may be prevented from crossing into Sint Maarten at night."

Direct link to KLM page for those trying to leave SXM:

https://www.klm.com/travel/sx_en/prepare...formation_2.htm


BUT it looks like it is primarily for Dutch citizens.