Extra Council of Ministers concerning consequences Irma

the hague - To discuss the effects of Hurricane Irma for the Windward Islands, there is an additional National Council of Ministers on Tuesday. The Ministers of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten will then attend the Cabinet meeting.

Especially Sint Maarten is severely affected. Here about 70 percent of the homes are heavily damaged or (partly) collapsed. Communication is still difficult. Also, things like water and power supply work only partly. The other two Upper Winds, Saba and Saint Eustatius have suffered less.

The reconstruction of the affected islands will cost a lot of money. The Ministry of Home Affairs sends teams of experts to see what is needed. After that, a plan for reconstruction will be drawn up.

To put the residents under the belt, King Willem-Alexander and Minister Ronald Plasterk (Domestic Affairs and Kingdom Relations) visit the affected islands these days. They also inform themselves of the assistance.