Homeowners in the repair programme with NRPB Director Claret Connor.
PHILIPSBURG--Several homeowners recently gathered in the National Recovery Program Bureau to sign agreements that relate to the state of repairs to their homes, with financing from the St. Maarten Recovery and Resilience Trust Fund. The NRPB home repair programme covers some 200 homes.
One beneficiary is Ashley Arrindell (84), a retired carpenter and mason from St. Peters, who built his home with the help of friends in the early 1970s. He was in that same home when Hurricane Irma battered it down.
“I watched my roof fly away and land on the car of my downstairs tenant,” Ashley said. “I have lived downstairs since then and would be very grateful to have my own space again.”
Contractor Roberto Arrindell of Confidence Constructions BV said as a St. Maartener it gives him great pride to be part of the recovery process. “Without this project, many of the homeowners would not have been able to afford the necessary repairs. I can’t wait to hand them back the keys to their completed homes at the end of construction,” he said.
NRPB Director Claret Connor told homeowners: “As a country we have been given a very generous gift by the people of the Netherlands. We have taken the time to ensure that all foreseeable aspects of the project have been taken care of. We will do it once, and we will do it right”.
The Trust Fund is financed by the Dutch government, managed by the World Bank and implemented by NRPB on behalf of the government of Sint Maarten.
