Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: The "Two Years And The Pounding Never Stops" Story

It was an ordinary day. Listening to the constant hammering and pounding. It seems to never cease! It has been almost two years since Hurricane Irma struck the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin on September 6, 2017 with greater force than had ever been recorded before in the Caribbean. Many, many businesses and villas were totally destroyed or lost at least their roof. Skilled labor is evidently hard to find on the island so many of the places in need of repairs have never been touched or have just begun to see the sight of a hammer and saw.

The front of our villa in Orient Village.
Our realtor told us that it had waist-deep
water in it after the storm. Most of the
villa needed repairs which have been done.

Carol and I were lucky to have found a vacation villa that we could rent for a few weeks in mid-April, but we found that most villas around us were just beginning to look like they did before the hurricane. Behind us were two such villas that had workers on them every day of vacation. And, on one side of our villa another group of workers worked on the roof of that villa. Across the street in front of our villa was the same thing. Many had to replace metal roofs so there was not only pounding, but the constant sound of metal saws. The workers were covered from head to foot with light-weight clothing to protect them from the sun, but they had to be so hot working on a metal roof in 85 degree heat in the Caribbean sun. Tends to slow you down thus extending the job a few extra weeks. They did very professional work and the new roofs look spectacular, but the process is slowed down due to the unbearable weather. Late one afternoon, just as the workers were ready to call it quits for the day, I walked around the neighborhood in Orient Village snapping a few photographs of the work they were doing. Take a look with me so you can see the extent of construction needed, even after two years of time. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Roofing supplies fill the front yards of many villas in Orient Village. Click on images to enlarge them.

Wooden shingles waiting to be used.

Entire areas hold construction supplies which are behind secure fences.

Scaffolding can be seen along every street of the village.

Workers put finishing touches to this overhang.

The scaffolding is very sturdy and safe.

This scaffolding is attached to the side of the villa.

These workers are finishing a sidewalk. All concrete is hand mixed.

These are the two villas behind the villa we are staying in. The roof on the left villa is almost complete while the roof on the villa on the right is perhaps half-way done.