Dear Editor,
Yesterday, on St. Martin Day, families across the island faced the aftermath of significant flooding. Heavy rains, increasingly severe due to climate change, left residents clearing mud, drying their homes, and salvaging belongings. This event underscores a critical reality: the impacts of climate change are intensifying and becoming harder to predict, challenging our island’s resilience with each storm.
These floods highlight broader issues in St. Martin’s approach to land use and development. Current policies often permit construction on hillsides without sufficient environmental safeguards, leading to widespread deforestation that leaves the land vulnerable. Without vegetation, these hillsides are exposed to erosion, turning rainfall into torrents of soil and water that flood residential areas, damaging homes and infrastructure. Construction without stringent environmental protections exacerbates these risks, making our communities more susceptible to the consequences of even moderate rainfall.
The recent floods reveal a need for stronger, more proactive measures to protect our island. Emergency pumps and reactive efforts are temporary fixes. True protection requires a shift in policy and planning. Protecting our hillsides through enforceable laws must be a priority, ensuring that the natural buffers we have are preserved and strengthened. These hillsides are vital to our island’s infrastructure, acting as barriers against floods and landslides; safeguarding them is not a restriction on growth but a necessary defense for public safety.
In addition to hillside protections, St. Martin must adopt sustainable urban planning practices to address these climate-related challenges. Development projects should include water retention zones, permeable surfaces to absorb rainfall, and mandatory environmental impact assessments that specifically examine risks related to water flow, soil stability, and erosion. Many regions facing similar climate vulnerabilities have implemented these practices effectively, proving that they are both feasible and essential to building climate resilience.
Updating our building codes is another important step. By requiring higher standards for construction techniques and materials, we can ensure that new structures are equipped to handle severe weather events. Enforcing these codes would reduce the long-term costs of emergency responses and repeated repairs, freeing resources for lasting resilience measures.
Engaging the community is also essential. Residents must be informed of the risks associated with hillside construction and educated on the value of preserving natural barriers. Effective climate resilience requires both institutional support and community involvement, fostering a culture of preparedness and conservation that extends beyond individual storms.
St. Martin Day reminds us of our shared commitment to this island, and yesterday’s floods emphasize the urgency of that commitment. Each storm, each flood, and each mudslide makes it clear that our approach must change. It is time for comprehensive hillside protection, sustainable urban planning, and stronger building standards. Only by addressing these root causes can we build a resilient future for St. Martin.
Tadzio Bervoets
Belair
Sint Maarten+1 721 5864588
