To condense my comments as much as possible, I would echo everything Carol had to say. Personally, I think that by March, the island will be ready and anxious to receive visitors. It depends on what you want from your trip. One thing that hasn't been emphasized enough is that there will be much less lodging inventory available even by then, so make sure you have something locked in. My guess is that beause of the concentration of restaurants in Grand Case and Orient Beach, lsss than 50% of restaurants will have re-opened on the French side. The same probably goes for other activities as well.
Pat, as always, your post is well reasoned and well stated. I would not recommend going back this November for a vacation, but as I just said, I think March or April will be fine as long as you have realistic expectations.
Just as a side thought here, I have seen many posts here in past years bemoaning how commercialized and over-built the island (especially on the Dutch side) has become, so maybe that effect of this tragic event will be welcomed by some.
Regarding Rikki Zart's facebook post, it just shows how differently two people can see the same thing and come away with two completely different perspectives. As just one quick example, I saw the huge piles of twisted metal dumped at certain sites as tremendous progress. At least that debris is no longer lying in the streets and in peoples yards. I think someone trying to evaluate the situation just has to take in all opinions and information, even from opposing points of view, and then decide what's right for themselves.