COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE
July the 8th 2021
THEMATIC PUBLIC REPORT
THE RECONSTRUCTION OF SAINT MARTIN
AND SAINT BARTHELEMY
AFTER THE HURRICANE IRMA
In 2017, three hurricanes of exceptional violence hit the islands of
Saint Martin
and
Saint
Barthélémy,
250 kilometres north-west of Guadeloupe. The most devastating of them, Irma,
caused considerable damage to both territories. The two northern islands suffered the same
cataclysm, but each have known different methods and modalities of reconstruction, taking
into
account
their institutional
and
developmental characteristics. Although
the
reconstruction is now almost completed in
Saint-Barthélémy, Saint-Martin
still faces
important challenges, without even mentioning the specificity of the island, divided
between France and the Netherlands.
By March 2018, the State’s financial assistance had been estimated at more than EUR500
million, with two thirds for the reconstruction phase
.
If the Court recommends that the
Overseas Territories Ministry carries out from now on a precise and regular follow-up of the
public funds mobilised for the reconstruction of Saint Martin, an exact measure of the
State’s financial sup
port should be presented only at the end of the full implementation of
its multiannual investment plan.
Different choices in both islands, as regards to methods of reconstruction and
the degree of State intervention
The hurricane Irma hit two French overseas communities in September 2017, whose special
status acquired in 2007 granted them great autonomy, particularly in terms of taxation. In
terms of economic development, the situation in
Saint-Barthélémy
is much more favourable
than that of Saint Martin.
As a result of these different contexts, plus heavier damage to
Saint Martin
, the State’s
support to both communities, as well as the methods chosen for the governance of their
reconstruction, have been different.
The community of
Saint-Barthélémy
supervised and took charge of its reconstruction, with
the State acting only on an ad hoc basis to ensure financial continuity.
On the other hand, the community of
Saint-Martin
received significant support from the State
and its operators, both in terms of funding and the strengthening of its human management
and engineering capabilities. Given the fragility of its administrative and technical organisation
and the complexity of the operations to be carried out, it appears
a
posteriori
that a direct
administration by the State of reconstruction could have been justified.
A near-complete reconstruction for
Saint-Barthélémy
The reconstruction of the destroyed buildings in
Saint-Barthélémy
is now well-advanced. It is
accompanied by a major effort to adapt buildings and equipment in order to learn from the
experience of Irma.
An unfinished reconstruction that faces major challenges in
Saint Martin
In Saint-Martin, the restoration of the destroyed buildings is still very partial: less than half of
the buildings stock and equipment was rebuilt, with the exception of schools and high schools
that are today almost all upgraded. The weakness of the community management led it to be
able to obtain only EUR25 million out of the EUR46 million allocated by the European Union
Solidarity Fund (EUSF) because of,
inter
alia, a flawed public ordering process.
The completion of the reconstruction requires that several challenges be met, which depend
primarily on the community and to a lesser extent on the state and its operators. First of all,
it is essential to strengthen local contracting authorities management and public ordering
capacities. Besides, it is necessary to implement the natural hazards prevention plan by
ensuring compliance, as done in
Saint-Barthélémy
, with the construction rules to reduce the
risk of occurrence of the consequences of this king of disaster. There is also a need to better
mobilise the community’s tax resources.
Eventually, the maintenance of the State technical
support will continue to be decisive in terms of management and expertise.
The French Court and the territorial chambers of the accounts of
Saint-Barthélémy
and
Saint-
Martin
make 8 recommendations.
Read the report
PRESS CONTACT:
Emmanuel Kessler
Directeur de la communication
T
01 42 98 55 62
emmanuel.kessler@ccomptes.fr
@Courdescomptes
comptes
Court of Accounts
Court of Accounts