Hurricane Irma has hit St Barths. Irma was simply the biggest hurricane ever recorded in history. And St Barths, along with neighbor island were right in its path.
The ordeal was terrifying for locals who were hiding in shelters and in their own homes. Houses, villa rentals, restaurants, shops, public buildings, everything suffered.
After the hurricane, locals took on themselves to clear the airport strip, reopen the commercial port, clear the roads, and distribute food. Mostly on their own, because the island has always been self-reliant, because France is far away, because the French army had to focus on St Martin for all kinds of reasons.
What the locals will need very soon, once everyone has electricity and potable water back, is jobs. As tourism is the island’s economic engine, it is important that visitors want to come back. Not only die-hard St Barths lovers, but also people just looking for a unique time on a Caribbean island.
This is why bringing back St Barths landscapes matters. Here are few photos and videos of how the island looked like a few days after the hurricane.