Most of the people on St Maarten absolutely do not have hurricane insurance. It is prohibitively expensive and the vast majority of people there work for minimum wage or, if lucky, perhaps slightly higher. SBYC is hardly the standard to go by given that it is a higher end property and occupied, primarily, by those with relatively high financial means on the island.

Not to be a pessimist but, unfortunately, things are about to get worse for the people of the island we all love. Unemployment will spike significantly as all of the waiters, cooks, housekeepers, clerks, and so many others who worked in the restaurants, hotels and stores that are now damaged and out of business lose their jobs. This is what happened after Luis and Lenny and will happen again now that Irma has come and gone.

There are numerous fundraising campaigns for the people of St Maarten listed on GoFundMe.com, including one for the staff of the Summit. I urge all of you to visit the GoFundMe site, pick the campaign that is most meaningful to you, and contribute generously to help people get through this terrible tragedy.

The people of St Maarten have been there for all of us for so many years. Now it is time for us to be there for them. Thank you.