POINTE BLANCHE--Serenade of the Seas is expected to be the first cruise ship in port on Friday after the cancellations caused by the passing of Hurricane Earl and Tropical Storm Fiona.

Ship Captain Michel Claveau contacted St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies expressing eagerness to visit the island on Friday. "If there's not too much damage we definitely want to dock on Friday. Any restrictions?" The captain wrote in an e-mail.

Harbour officials are working to make the cruise pier accessible for the cruise ship as they see the arrival of a ship a morale booster for the hurricane weary island.

The only restriction so far to the ship's arrival is some of the steel at the expansion joints on the smaller cruise pier was lifted by the waves. That problem is being addressed.

The new mega-cruise ship pier is in good condition and Serenade can berth there on Friday. On that pier some of the dock boxes with outlets were damaged. Repairs will be carried out soon.

Aside from the minor structural damage, an underwater survey between the old and new piers as well as the approach will be carried out in advance of the ship's arrival to ensure all is clear for use of the Eastern side of new pier.

Philipsburg in particular needs to be cleaned up and ready to receive cruise passengers, according to harbour officials.

"St. Maarten has built a reputation as a premier cruise destination and the cruise lines are eager to be back in port. Passengers and crew look forward to visiting, shopping and experiencing our island. It's up to us to be ready to welcome them with an island that looks untouched by hurricane and show that no matter what St. Maarten is alive and kicking," Harbour Group CEO Mark Mingo said.

The tower that “houses” ECC and TelCell antennas on Naked Boy Hill.

UTS, Caribserve antennas shift

PHILIPSBURG--TelEm Group offices will be open for business today (Wednesday) following the passing of Hurricane Earl. As of 3:00pm on Tuesday, all TelEm Group personnel were advised that Wednesday is a regular work day with offices opening at 7:00 am Wednesday morning.

The company will be monitoring the situation with Tropical Storm Fiona, which is in the area and will advise personnel accordingly during the course of Wednesday morning.

Early assessments of damage caused by Hurricane Earl, on Monday, have shown 25 to 30 per cent of the company's overhead cable network damaged.

"At this stage it could take up to three weeks to get all hanging cables secured and repaired especially since a number of the cables run parallel with high-tension cables that have to be made safe for our workmen first," said Head of Outside Plant, Anthony Carty.

Carty said upon first assessments the most affected areas for TelEm Group's Outside Plant are South Reward and Cole Bay. TelEm is also reporting congestion and outage on its mobile network as a result of hurricane Earl.

Several cell sites have been affected by intermittent power problems caused by the Hurricane Earl as of 4:00pm Tuesday. These sites are: Cuperi, Link 1, St. Rose Arcade, Front Street, Penny's, Back Street, Simpson Bay, Porto Cupecoy, Oyster Bay, Pelican, Naked Boy Hill and the Harbour in Saba.

Glen Carty of United Telecommunication Services (UTS) reported that the company's transmission antennas shifted causing some service interruption, with minor problems at five of its cell sites. Carty said Caribserve encountered service interruptions when its antennas also shifted.

Technicians from TelEm, UTS and Caribserve are out in the field and have asked the public for some patience as they work to get service restored.

PHILIPSBURG--Major hotel properties on the island reported no serious damage from Hurricane Earl. Most of the properties only reported landscaping damage and debris that had been blown onto the premises by the strong winds.

Maho
The Sonesta Group maintains a detailed Hurricane Preparedness Plan, which went into effect as soon as the threat of the storm was announced. Staff and management at every property had already taken all precautions to keep guests safe, comfortable and well informed. As such, all went smoothly.

"The security and comfort of every guest and staff member had the absolute priority of our general managers and operation teams during Earl. All precautionary and prudent measures were taken to ensure their safety," said Sonesta Group spokesperson Andria Mitsakos.

"We are extremely grateful that we didn't suffer any structural damage from Earl and that all hotel guests and staff weathered the storm safely. Guests currently in-house at all of our resorts are in good spirits and we look forward to receiving new guests with future reservations.
Sonesta Maho Beach Hotel is open and operational. There is no major structural damage; landscaping and outdoor facilities suffered limited damage; loose debris is being cleaned up and disposed of at this time. The hotel remained open during the storm and accommodated guests. Sonesta Maho will take new arrivals as of September 2 at noon. The property remains open for current guests, with a few public areas and facilities closed for clean-up.

Great Bay Beach Hotel
Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort is open and operational. There was no major structural damage, just some water damage; landscaping and outdoor facilities suffered limited damage; loose debris is being cleaned up and disposed of at this time. The hotel remained open and accommodated guests. The resort is honouring all existing reservations from today through September 5, and will receive new arrivals as of September 5 at noon. Guests can still make reservations online for any stays beyond September.

Pelican
Pelican Resort Club and Pelican Marina Residences in St. Maarten reported relatively minor damages, mostly contained to the resorts' gardens and shrubbery.
Royal Resorts Caribbean (owners of Pelican) CEO Richard Corso remained on-site throughout the entire storm. He credits the hard work and preparedness of Pelican Resort's staff for protecting the resort and owners' interests and also ensuring the safety and comfort of guests.
Despite high winds and heavy rain, Pelican Resort's staff attended to the needs of its nearly 500 on-property owners and guests. The rain and flooding brought employee transportation to a halt, but by 6:00am workers arrived at the resort on foot and began the task of cleaning the grounds and readying the pools and beach.
During the storm the resorts maintained continuous power and AC through its generators. The TV signals and guest wireless services were virtually uninterrupted. As of Tuesday afternoon, the pools were opened and all services returned to normal.

Westin
The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa did not suffer any damage besides landscaping.
According to the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), the smaller hotel properties and inns also came out of the storm fairly unscathed.

PHILIPSBURG--Police held a prosecutor J.B.D. for about five hours Saturday, after he had allegedly been involved in a hit-and-run road accident.

D. had reportedly hit another driver and left the accident scene before police arrived.

They released J.B.D. from custody that night after determining that he hadn't been intoxicated when he caused the accident, Prosecutor Rienk Mud told The Daily Herald Tuesday.

D. had caused an accident, but didn't realize it was his fault and drove away, Mud said. Police later tracked him down and took him to the police station "like anyone else who causes an accident and leaves." There, they determined that D. was sober and they let him go.

Police are investigating, Mud said.