My fellow people of Sint Maarten,
As we approach the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season, I address you today not only as your Prime Minister, but as a fellow resident of this beautiful country who understands firsthand what this season can mean for our families, our homes, our livelihoods, and our peace of mind.
For us in Sint Maarten, hurricane season is not simply a date on the calendar. It is a period that reminds us of our vulnerability, but also of our strength. We remember the lessons of the past. We remember the uncertainty, the fear, the devastation, but we also remember the resilience of our people. We remember neighbors helping neighbors, families opening their homes to others, emergency workers risking their lives, and a nation that refused to give up.
Those experiences taught us something important: preparedness saves lives.
This year’s hurricane season officially begins on June 1st and runs through November 30th. Forecasts indicate another active season for the Atlantic region, and while we pray that Sint Maarten is spared from major impacts, we cannot depend on hope alone. Preparation must be our responsibility.
I want to speak directly to every household, every business owner, every parent, every senior citizen, every young person, and every resident of this country: now is the time to prepare.
Do not wait for a storm warning to begin securing your home or gathering supplies. By the time a storm is approaching, it may already be too late to complete critical preparations safely.
I urge all residents to review their emergency plans with their families. Know where you will shelter if necessary. Ensure you have enough food, water, medication, batteries, important documents, and emergency supplies to sustain your household for several days. Check on elderly relatives, neighbors living alone, and persons who may need additional support during an emergency.
To our business community, your preparedness is equally important. Review your continuity plans, secure your properties, protect important data and equipment, and ensure your staff understand emergency procedures. The strength of our economy after a storm depends greatly on how prepared we are beforehand.
As Chair of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), I already convened a meeting with the EOC on May 27, 2026, as part of Government’s continued proactive approach toward hurricane preparedness and national response coordination. During these discussions, key stakeholders and emergency management officials reviewed preparedness measures, response readiness, inter-agency coordination, communication protocols, shelter preparedness, and operational planning for the upcoming season. This meeting reflects Government’s commitment to remaining vigilant, prepared, and coordinated ahead of any potential threat.
Government continues to work actively together with our emergency services, ministries, utility companies, and key stakeholders to strengthen preparedness and response capabilities ahead of the season. This includes ongoing coordination through our national disaster management framework, shelter readiness assessments, public infrastructure preparations, and continued collaboration with regional and international partners.
I also wish to express my sincere gratitude to all first responders, emergency personnel, healthcare workers, volunteers, utility workers, and community organizations who stand ready every year to serve and protect this country, often under extremely difficult circumstances. Your dedication does not go unnoticed.
At the same time, preparedness is not only the responsibility of government. Disaster resilience begins at home and within our communities. We all have a role to play.
Let us also remember that storms do not affect everyone equally. There are families among us who may struggle to afford supplies or secure their homes adequately. If you are in a position to help someone in need, I encourage you to do so. A simple act of kindness, sharing supplies, helping clear a yard, assisting an elderly neighbor, or offering support to a vulnerable family can make a meaningful difference.
Sint Maarten has always shown its greatest strength during challenging times. We are a resilient people. We are a compassionate people. And when we stand together, there is no challenge we cannot face.
I ask everyone to stay informed throughout the hurricane season by following official government channels, emergency notifications, and verified information sources. Avoid spreading rumors or misinformation, especially during times of uncertainty, as accurate information can save lives.
My fellow people of Sint Maarten,
Preparedness is not about fear. It is about responsibility. It is about protecting the people we love and ensuring that our country can recover quickly and safely should a storm threaten us.
Let us enter this hurricane season alert, prepared, united, and committed to looking out for one another.
May God continue to bless and protect Sint Maarten and all who call this country home.
Thank you.
Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Library is pleased to announce the addition of Een zwaluw in de kamer: Queer-verhalen die je omarmen (A Swallow in the Room: Queer Stories That Embrace You) by Dutch author Eveline van de Putte to its collection. Danielle Swart generously donated the book on behalf of the author.
Written in Dutch, Een zwaluw in de kamer is a collection of twenty interconnected stories that explore themes of identity, love, family, friendship, inclusion, disability, and self-discovery. Through relatable and compassionate characters, the book highlights the importance of empathy, understanding, and respect for diversity, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community.
Danielle Swart works as a fund manager for the Jo Visser Fonds in the Netherlands. The goal of this fund is to stimulate healthcare education for people who wish to work in elderly care and related fields. By supporting small projects, young people can learn about the importance of their future profession. The publication of Een zwaluw in de kamer was made possible through this support.
“The author tells stories about the queer community in a friendly and accessible way, especially to encourage people to love and respect one another,” said Swart. “This is particularly important in healthcare settings, where many people are still afraid to show their true feelings. We hope that this book demonstrates that we are all human beings and serves as a valuable conversation starter.”
The Sint Maarten Library invites patrons to discover this thoughtful and inspiring Dutch-language title and engage in meaningful conversations about inclusion, acceptance, and our shared humanity.
For more information, please contact the Sint Maarten Library.

PHILIPSBURG — A parliamentary meeting concluded on a conciliatory note after a motion expressing dissatisfaction was formally withdrawn before it could be debated or voted upon.
During the session, the Chair announced that Parliament had reached the third item on its agenda, a motion expressing dissatisfaction. However, the motion's presenter, Member of Parliament Ardwell Irion, requested that it be retracted.
Addressing the Chair, MP Irion explained that developments during the meeting had changed the circumstances surrounding the proposal. He noted that the first motion discussed had addressed concerns about fairness and justice, rendering his own motion no longer relevant.
“Seeing the first motion and seeing that the fairness and justice base of my motion will not make sense anymore, I would like to retract my motion,” MP Irion stated.
Following parliamentary procedure, the request to withdraw the motion was presented to the chamber and received the necessary support from two members. As a result, the motion was officially retracted and was not put to a vote.
With no further items requiring deliberation, the Chair brought the meeting to a close. In her concluding remarks, she thanked the Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor (VSA), Richinel Brug, and members of his support staff for their participation.
The Chair also expressed regret over the circumstances that had led to the matter being brought up before Parliament, particularly considering its impact on the minister, his ministry, and the individuals working within it.

From May 17 to June 4, 2026, the French Forces in the West Indies (FAA) will organize an exercise in the Antilles region called CARAÏBES-26.
The natural disasters that threaten and regularly strike the West Indies transcend borders and require a rapid response from the affected states, as well as coordinated action from regional actors.
To prepare for these situations, the FAA organizes an inter-service, inter-ministerial, and allied exercise in the West Indies region called CARAÏBES every two years.
CARAÏBES-26 is based on a scenario of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), involving the participation of French armed forces stationed in the West Indies and French Guiana, armed forces from Caribbean countries, as well as regional and non-governmental organizations: prefectures of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Saint-Martin through their inter-ministerial defense and civil protection service (SIDPC) and the inter-service zone headquarters for the West Indies (EMIZA), departmental fire and rescue services (SDIS) of Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin, National Gendarmerie, Red Cross, and the inter-regional platform for the Americas and the Caribbean (PIRAC).
A real-condition exercise, CARAÏBES-26 simulates the intervention of French sovereignty forces during an emergency operation to respond to the arrival of a major Category 4 cyclone, which strikes the southern and then the northern West Indies in the days following its passage. It also includes a security operation on a foreign territory that was simulated on the island of Marie-Galante from May 17 to 22, with the participation of the embarked tactical group (GTE) and the aeromaritime means of the JEANNE D’ARC mission, which would have arrived as reinforcements from France following the outbreak of the climatic crisis and the resulting insecurity.
Divided into three sequences, each of which allows working on a typical phase of a natural disaster crisis in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint-Martin.
CARAÏBES-26 consolidates inter-administration collaboration between the FAA and state services in the context of crisis management in the region.
It also strengthens cooperation with allied and partner countries of the FAA in population assistance missions through the integration of troops and/or observers from Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Tuesday, June 2, 2026: media sequence in Saint-Martin
• 10:30 AM: sequence at the Belle Créole site: presentation of the exercise and interviews in the presence of Mr. Cyrille Le Vély, Prefect of Saint-Martin, Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste Souberie, Commander-in-Chief of the French Forces in the West Indies, Mr. Luc F. E. Mercelina, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, and Mrs. Julia Crouch, Governor of Anguilla;
• 11:00 AM: presentation of the exercise's setup by a military personnel, a member of the Saint-Martin territorial fire and rescue service (STIS), and a member of the Guadeloupe military adapted service regiment (RSMA), along with the intervention actions of civilian and military entities, French and foreign, following the (fictional) passage of the cyclone;
• 11:45 AM: departure from the Belle Créole site to the Happy Bay site by road;
• 12:15 PM: presentation of the military device and military and civilian means of aid to victims deployed on the Happy Bay site: triage area for the wounded, supplies of first necessities...
• 1:00 PM: end of the media sequence.
Special arrangements for the press
Media wishing to cover this exercise are invited to make themselves known by email to:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
before Monday, June 1, 2026.
The following must be specified:
• the number of participating individuals;
• first and last name of each participant;
• the name of the media outlet and its contact details (email + phone);
• attach to the accreditation request a scanned copy of a valid ID (front/back) (national ID or passport) as well as press cards associated with each participant.