GREAT BAY--June 3, 2026: The Government of St. Maarten and the World Bank have launched a strategic framework and roadmap for the St. Maarten Disaster Reserve Fund, DRF, which will be capitalized in part through repayments from a reconstruction loan to Princess Juliana International Airport, advanced by the Government of St. Maarten.
The approach will direct those PJIA loan repayments into the DRF, turning past recovery financing into a future financial safety net for the country.
The launch marks a significant step in strengthening how St. Maarten manages public finances to secure lives and livelihoods should future disasters strike.
In 2017, Hurricane Irma caused US $2.7 billion in damages to St. Maarten, destroying approximately 90 percent of the island’s infrastructure and triggering a long recovery that depended heavily on external assistance.
The DRF is designed to ensure St. Maarten does not start from zero when the next disaster occurs. The Fund will provide a financial safety net for immediate post-disaster response, help protect vulnerable households from sliding into poverty and support faster, more self-directed recovery.
The Fund is intended to move St. Maarten away from ad hoc, post-disaster financing and toward pre-arranged liquidity, allowing government to respond more quickly and effectively.
“Today we celebrate a milestone born from months of dedicated work, strong partnership, and a clear understanding that resilience is not built in moments of crisis, but through the decisions we make long before they arrive. It reflects our unwavering belief that St. Maarten can and must be better prepared for the future,” said the Honorable Marinka J. Gumbs, Minister of Finance of the Government of St. Maarten.
“Hurricane Irma left a critical question in its wake: what can be done differently before the next disaster strikes. The DRF is part of that answer. This is St. Maarten’s framework and the ownership and ambition rest with the people and institutions of St. Maarten,” said Toyin Jagha, World Bank Trust Fund Program Manager.
The launch of the DRF builds on the recently approved Sustaining Program Effectiveness and Advancing Resilience, SPEAR, project, which forms part of a broader effort to strengthen St. Maarten’s governance systems, modernize budget preparation and embed accountability across government operations.
It should be noted that the press release issued does not specify the expected size of those repayments, the repayment schedule, the projected annual inflow into the Fund, or the target amount government intends to build over time. It also does not detail the rules for accessing the Fund after a disaster, who will manage and oversee it, or what safeguards will be put in place to ensure that the money remains reserved for disaster response and resilience.
Join Our Community Today
Subscribe to our mailing list to be the first to receive
breaking news, updates, and more.
