PHILIPSBURG:--- Following the heavy rains this past week, the Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment, and Infrastructure (VROMI) Patrice Gumbs wishes to thank all first responders, including the fire department, police, and especially the workers of VROMI-Yard for their steadfast efforts over the past week; and to the general population for their patience which, as the Ministry continues to clean and work towards improving our infrastructure, is much appreciated.
The island experienced the effects of a cold front, which normally doesn’t come this far south. This, mixed with an area of moisture, led to substantial rainfall. The Minister indicated that the impact of this rain was amplified by the general lack of drainage, something that he has been very vocal about since taking office.
“The current infrastructure has not grown at the same rate as development has; current drainage is not designed for the high density of buildings or the manner in which we build into the hills, often times relying on water to just run down the roads, whereas it would naturally soak into the ground," stated Gumbs. Similar sentiments have been expressed for years by the various environmental organizations on the island, as well as the Meteorological Office, as it relates to the infrastructure being able to keep up with changes in climate and weather patterns.
Over the course of the week, VROMI civil servants have been busy managing the water levels of the Great Salt Pond and the Fresh Water Pond. Clean-up efforts began in earnest around midnight on November 11th with the lowering of the levels of the pond. The VROMI team, including the Secretary General and the Minister, were on hand well up until 7 AM, before proceeding to the official Saint Martin Day events at 8 AM. The teams were busy assisting people trapped in their cars, compiling preliminary assessments, and removing debris from roads. In many areas including Ebenezer, Cay Hill, Cole Bay, Pelican/Simpsonbay, and Beacon Hill, the Ministry arranged septic trucks to pump water out, noting that this was more to mitigate the impact of the rains, and can no longer be the way in which flood prone areas are managed. A long-term solution is needed. Residents of these areas have been complaining for years about issues including erosion and drainage. In the Great Bay basin which experiences particularly bad flooding.
Contrary to circulating misinformation, the floodgates, allowing water to flow from the fresh pond into the Great Salt Pond, were in fact opened on November 11. The stormwater pumps, which pump water from the Great Salt Pond into Great Bay via a canal and which was out of service since Hurricane Irma, was epaired in July of this year and unfortunately broke down late Wednesday evening. They were quickly repaired and put back into service on Friday afternoon. During this period, the Great Bay Channel was opened to allow the outflow of water towards the sea. The Ministry will soon receive a subsidy for the purchase of a new storm pump and is in the process of upgrading the site with new sheet piles. It was discovered in August 2024 that the sheet piles are at the end of their lifespan, meaning that running the pumps for prolonged periods could mean the country runs the risk of losing the pumps, in the event of a platform collapse. This aging infrastructure means that the pumps, while working, aren’t able to efficiently pump water out, underscoring the need for structured maintenance of critical infrastructure.
Gumbs condemned statements made throughout the week on the lack of cleaning of drains and waterways as a cause of the severe flooding. “This is a played out, old school, and rather unfortunate attempt by some politicians and their mouthpieces alike to take advantage of a crisis, to the detriment of the population. The awarding of the trench contracts, a decision that I took in August of this year, allowed for a comprehensive cleaning of all waterways for the first time in over 3 years which further mitigated the impact that this past week’s flooding could’ve had. Within two months we’ve managed to tackle many of the larger drains and work is continuing."
Furthermore, Gumbs has been critical of the hard surfacing project, a good initiative to concrete all side roads, but one which lacked drainage plans and proper outlets, and only sends the problem (dirt, water and debris) further down the road. This can be seen especially in Cole Bay, where connections onto and off of Union Road have moved flooding from the main into people's yards and homes.
Minister Gumbs stated, "we often speak of resilience but have yet to institutionalize it. The potholes didn’t appear this week, nor did our drainage issues and concerns about how we build and the impact on natural waterways and potential increase for erosion and landslides, as we saw in many areas this week. While rains are ongoing, the Ministry and other first responders are unable to assist as they risk putting their lives in danger and potentially making a situation worse.
Gumbs asked the population to exercise caution especially in the use of roadways. “We are all very aware of the state of roads, noting that new potholes emerged with the passing of the rain and many others, already present, have increased in size. A large number of these are on roads earmarked for repair but the amount of rain over the past three weeks has slowed down the rate at which this work is undertaken."
The Ministry of VROMI will be making very drastic changes in what will be allowed going forward where it pertains to development. While this may mean that in cases of both private and public land people won’t be able to build as they wish, the limitation and potential increased costs of building are outweighed by the safety, quality, and peace of mind it will bring to the population as a whole. The impact of this rain on homes, infrastructure, and the economy is testament to the fact that tough choices have to be made.
"These won’t be popular decisions, but they will be the right ones”. Gumbs stated.
