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Divi Little Bay Hurricane Irma Updates

RNCollins

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The Divi Little Bay was mentioned in another Irma post, but I thought it would be easier to locate Divi information in a new post.

The information was taken from the Divi Little Bay Facebook page:

September 6, 2017
Update, Hurricane Irma on St. Maarten

"We know that everyone is concerned about the guests and staff of Divi Little Bay Beach Resort. We appreciate your support and patience during this time.

At 7:30 this morning, we received a short communication from the Resort’s Assistant General Manager, Mr. Thijs Scheepers. He confirmed that all guests were safe in the main building, which is the location of pureocean restaurant. At that point, the first part of the storm had passed and they were preparing for the second half. The main building is the designated shelter under the Resort’s Hurricane Preparedness Plan because of its solid construction, storm protection devices, food and power (from the generator). There was water in some offices and minor flooding in the storerooms but otherwise the building remains strong, and guests are dry and spread out among the meeting rooms and the restaurant. Unfortunately, the generator was not working at the time of the communication. A small number of guests, approximately six rooms, elected not to relocate to the main building. While we do not have any direct information about these guests, we have no reason to believe that they are not safe as well.

As soon as communications are reestablished, we will provide a further update."
 

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From Divi Little Bay's Facebook page:

September 6, 2017 / 6:20pm
Update, Hurricane Irma on St. Maarten

"We have had further contact with our resort management team and all guests and staff are safe and well, including those who elected to not move to our main building.

The generator is running and food and water is available and damage assessments have started.

We will provide further updates as they become available.

We appreciate your continued support and patience during this time."
 

RNCollins

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From Divi Little Bay Facebook Page:

September 7, 2017
Just a quick update following Hurricane Irma:

"We are happy to confirm again that guests and staff are safe, with no serious injuries. Fortunately, there is electricity from the generator, as well as limited wifi service.
At this time, the Resort will remain closed until we are able to fully assess the damage. The safety and comfort of everyone on property is a top priority.
We thank you for your continued support."
 

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From Divi Little Bay Facebook Page:

September 8, 2017

"We would like to thank everyone who has inquired about the health and wellbeing of Gizmo our Divi Diva (Parrot). As you can see she is doing very well and still grabbing all the attention!"


Sept 8, 2017 / 7:15pm

Update Approaching Hurricane Jose

Our Resort staff have been very busy today, cleaning up debris (and guests are helping, too!). This is important with Hurricane Jose’s arrival tomorrow. Unfortunately, it has intensified, but according to the National Hurricane Center, there is a slight shift to the east, which is a good thing.

The generator is functioning and guests will be sheltered in the same main building that remained strong during the last storm.

We again ask for your patience and understanding in communicating updates.
 

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Divi Little Facebook Page
September 9, 2017

Update Hurricane Irma aftermath

"Although communication with our management team at Divi Little Bay is sporadic, we continue to receive positive reports on the health and wellbeing of our guests and staff.

The Resort is now preparing for Hurricane Jose, whose effects are expected this afternoon. Our guests have food, water and are sheltering in the main building. We are continuing to work on the safe airlift of our guests from the island as quickly as possible.

The Dutch Marines have been able to dock a ship and get flights in from Curacao so more troops and supplies are on the ground in St. Maarten. They are in control of the airport and providing some security and emergency help on the island.

Once again we ask for your patience in getting accurate updates to you. We understand that many are concerned for loved ones and friends. We ask everyone sharing photos and comments to please post responsibly and with compassion for those going through this difficult experience.

Thank you."
 

RNCollins

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Sept 9, 2017 / 6:22pm

Facebook Divi Little Bay post:

UPDATE FROM ST. MAARTEN

"Our resort staff asked us to mention, how grateful everyone has been for the hard work of the Dutch Marines.

They have been working tirelessly throughout St. Maarten, bringing much needed help and supplies, and as importantly, encouragement and security. You can see them [in our photo] delivering water to the resort. Their professionalism, confidence and competency are truly exceptional and provided a great deal of assurance to all.

We will get more photos and video posted as soon as we have it available. Please continue to watch here for updates as the guests and staff ride out Jose."
 
Last edited:

RNCollins

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September 9, 2017 / 9:48pm
Divi Little Bay Facebook post:

Update Tropical Storm Jose

"As everyone knows, St. Maarten was impacted by Jose in the late afternoon. The National Hurricane Center downgraded the impact of the storm to a tropical storm warning, which is welcome news. Communications are naturally difficult, and we are awaiting confirmation on the safety of our guests and staff. However, the main building has proved itself to be strong.

We thought people would like to see the shelter our resort is providing, so we’ve included a video filmed by a Dutch news team. The video (while in Dutch), shows the organization and care our staff are providing, under very difficult circumstances, as they continue to make conditions as comfortable as possible.

Once again we ask for your patience in getting accurate updates to you.

Thank you."

https://nos.nl/video/2192088-toerist-geeft-rondleiding-door-zijn-schuilplaats-op-sint-maarten.html
 

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September 10, 2017
Divi Little Bay Facebook post:

Post Tropical Storm Jose Update

"We are happy to report that our guests and staff have come through Tropical Storm Jose safely.

Now that the storm has passed, our staff will continue with clean-up of debris around the resort and damage assessment.

[We wanted to share this video of our guests coming together in a wonderful moment of song and community.]

Our resort staff continue to provide guests with electricity from our generator, food and water, and we continue to work on the safe evacuation of our guests from the island as quickly as possible.

We will post more updates as soon as we can and ask for your continued patience in getting accurate information to you.

Thank you."
 

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September 10, 2017 / 7:27pm
Divi Little Facebook post:

UPDATE ST. MAARTEN

"On behalf of the staff, we are pleased to confirm that all American guests staying at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort have been checked out and are safely returning to their homes. Resort staff would like to thank them for their help, understanding and good cheer in such unprecedented circumstances. These remaining guests left this afternoon on Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas. Despite two hurricanes, one of which was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, Celine van Meer (General Manager), Thijs Scheepers (Assistant General Manager), Barry Richards (Chief Engineer), Gizmo (the Parrot) and all the other staff members at Divi Little Bay hope all guests enjoyed their stay as much as they enjoyed serving them. There were friendships formed that will never be forgotten.

We have a few remaining guests from other nationalities that fly out in the morning or are waiting to access the French side of the island, St. Martin.

For more information on the ships itinerary, please contact Royal Caribbean’s Emergency Service Center at 800-256-6649. The ship-to-shore number is 321-953-9003 (ship-to-shore phone rates are $7.95 per minute and they accept only Visa or MC).

We are so very happy and thankful that guests will be reunited with their family and friends very soon.

With all guests safely on their way, the staff will now begin rebuilding what was lost into something better. We also would like to thank all the caring people outside of St. Maarten that have been so supportive.

Regarding future reservations:
Now that both Irma and Jose have passed, we will be commencing with the evaluation of the resort. Our management office has already communicated with owners, members and guests who had reservations in the next few weeks.

Please continue to watch for updates, or contact Divi Owner Relations Department via email at ownerrelations@diviresorts.com, or Divi Reservations Department by phone at (800) 367-3484, Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm."
 

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September 11, 2017
Divi Little Bay Facebook post:

"HOW CAN YOU HELP SUPPORT DIVI LITTLE BAY STAFF"

"We would like to express our deep appreciation for the outpouring of concern and good wishes from so many. In response to all the inquiries about how you can help, we have set up a GoFundMe account where you can safely and reliably contribute.

We are exploring all options for supporting our Resort staff and their families, and are incredibly grateful for any assistance that you can provide."

https://www.gofundme.com/send-love-to-divi-little-bay-staff
 

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September 11, 2017 / 6:01pm
Divi Little Bay Facebook post:

"We are blown away by the support of all of our wonderful Divi family during this tough time! As you can image, we are receiving many calls regarding the Resort. To assist with the call volume, we’ve set up a dedicated email to address your questions and concerns: hurricanequestions@diviresorts.com.

Rest assured, if you have a scheduled vacation to Divi Little Bay, we will be reaching out as soon as possible to discuss travel options.

Thanks again for your patience!"
 

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September 12, 2017
Divi Little Bay Facebook post:

UPDATE ST. MAARTEN

"We’re happy to lend a helping hand to those in need! As such, Divi Little Bay has agreed to allow a troop of Dutch Marines, there to assist citizens of St. Maarten, to use the Resort as a base station.

In addition, since the onset of Hurricane Irma, staff members and their family have been staying at the Resort, and we have established the Little Bay Shelter Program, which will provide shelter at the Resort as staff begin the work of finding more permanent housing solutions. The program is still evolving as we continue to explore all assistance options.

We’re thrilled to hear that cargo vessels are once again coming into the port, and NV GEBE is starting to restore electricity in some areas. We are currently still running generator power to limited areas of the Resort, and hope to have our power back on soon!

Sadly, most of our staff are facing significant personal property damage and losses, and some have even lost their homes. At this time, donations of food, clothing and other items cannot be sent to the island due to delivery issues.

As a reminder, we've set up a GoFundMe campaign to assist with cash donations: gofundme.com/send-love-to-divi-little-bay-staff. All funds raised will go directly to Little Bay's staff needs, in addition to support provided by Divi.

Thank you for your understanding and support, and we will update you again once we know more."
 

taterhed

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Wow. Nice job.

This is a great example of 'how it's done right' for some other folks....
 

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Thanks Carol! We are halfway through a purchase at Divi Little Bay, and are slowing the process to see how much damage there is. But, we're pretty sure we want to go through with it, as SXM is our favorite, particularly Little Bay Beach as we've stayed there frequently at Belair, and have family that owns next door at Belair. We've been watching the FB posts but it's great to have them all in one place. Thank you!
 

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Thursday, September 14, 2017
From Divi Little Bay's Facebook site:

UPDATE ST. MAARTEN

"It’s truly a team effort at Divi Little Bay as we continue to shelter employees and Dutch marines while Hurricane Irma cleanup progresses.

We’re especially grateful for the help of the Dutch marines, who not only took over kitchen cleaning duties last night so our staff could rest, but also cooked dinner for the entire staff as a thank you for Divi’s hospitality.

At this time, we are still running on generator power, but marines have restored running water to the resort, allowing staff to shower for the first time since Irma hit the island.

We continue to assess the extent of the damage and will update you with more information as we have a better understanding of the situation."

#StayStrongSXM #SXMStrong
 

RNCollins

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Friday, September 15, 2017
From Divi Little Bay's Facebook page:

"Great news to share! While public entry to St. Maarten has been restricted, we were finally able to get a core group of staff, including Divi Resorts President & COO, Marco Galaverna, on the island to thank employees for their hard work and dedication during the storm, and to begin assessing the damage.

Right now, communication from the island is sparse due to limited wifi, but we will continue to keep you up-to-date on any new information!"
 

pedro47

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Wishing the best for everyone on the island. Please Jose and Maria please do not hit any more Caribbean islands this year. This is my prayer.
 

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This is an email I received today (September 22, 2017) from Divi Hotels Marketing, Inc:


UPDATE
"Dear Owners & Members,

First and foremost, we would like to thank each and every one of you for your concern, support and kind words throughout the recent spate of storms. St. Maarten, St. Croix and many Caribbean islands were impacted by Hurricane Irma, Tropical Storm Jose and Hurricane Maria, which caused widespread damage and destruction.

We are extremely fortunate that all guests and staff escaped these devastating storms unscathed, but sadly, the islands of St. Maarten and St. Croix sustained significant damage. Both Divi Little Bay Beach Resort in St. Maarten and Divi Carina Bay All-Inclusive Beach Resort & Casino in St. Croix have also experienced damage, and will be closed until a date yet to be determined.

Our management office has been working diligently to contact Divi Little Bay Beach Resort owners, members, and guests with bookings scheduled for the next few weeks, and we continue to contact those with reservations affected by the storm. We greatly appreciate your patience as we reach out to those with the closest arrival dates first. Rest assured, if your trip is affected, we will contact you as soon as possible.

As soon as St. Maarten was accessible by the public, our President & COO, Marco Galaverna and his team visited the island to assess the damage and thank employees for keeping guests safe and in good spirits during the storm. Our team is now focused on cleaning up and rebuilding the Resort, with plans to make Little Bay even better than before. We will continue to provide updates on the rebuilding process as we know more.

We’re also providing housing and meals for a troop of Dutch Marines that are using the Resort as a base station to assist citizens of St. Maarten. They’ve kindly returned the favor by cooking dinner for the entire staff and helping out with cleaning duties.

The Resort is still running on generator power while GEBE continues its efforts to restore power throughout the island. In addition, cargo vessels have returned to their normal operations at the port.

Many of our beloved staff members returned home after the storm to find extensive personal property damage and their homes destroyed. We created a GoFundMe account to help our Divi family get back on their feet, and funds donated will assist Little Bay’s staff in the recovery process. To donate, visit: www.gofundme.com/send-love-to-divi-little-bay-staff.

Several owners have also inquired about the birds on our Resort, and we are happy to report that Gizmo and her flock of feathered friends are perfectly fine and working hard to keep everyone smiling.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Divi Owner Relations Department via email at ownerrelations@diviresorts.com, or Divi Reservations Department by phone at (800) 367-3484, Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm ET. You may also contact us via email at hurricanequestions@diviresorts.com.

To stay up to date on all of the newest information surrounding Divi Little Bay visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DiviLittleBay.

Again, we would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of good wishes and beautiful St. Maarten memories. Your positivity has helped us stay optimistic and hopeful about the future of the Resort. Together, we will rebuild an even better Little Bay for all guests to enjoy.

Sincerely,

Divi Hotels Marketing, Inc."
 

RNCollins

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September 27, 2017
Divi Little Bay Facebook post:


"You asked, we listened. Many of you questioned how to help Little Bay’s beloved staff after Hurricane Irma struck the island of St. Maarten, which is why we established a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for those affected.

A HUGE thank you to those who have already donated to our GoFundMe campaign - your support and kind words mean the world to all of us at Divi Resorts. ♥

Please continue to help us reach our goal by sharing the campaign with friends and family. Every dollar counts: https://www.gofundme.com/send-love-to-divi-little-bay-staff "
 

RNCollins

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October 4, 2017
From Divi Little Bay’s Facebook post:

RESORT UPDATE

“We appreciate your patience over the past few weeks as we’ve been working diligently to determine next steps for our resort.

Although we optimistically hoped to be open in time for the 2018 season, an assessment of the property after the storms has confirmed that most units have sustained damage. Although the extent varies from building to building, we have confirmed that major repair and reconstruction is needed in order to provide guests with accommodations equal to, or superior than, those available prior to these storms.

Due to this, we anticipate reopening our resort in May 2018, if there are no construction or supply delays.

We understand this is an inconvenience, and we are just as disappointed as you that we will not be able to host guests until May. Rest assured, if your reservation is affected, a representative will be reaching out with further details on your options to cancel or rebook.

As a reminder, if you booked your vacation through www.DiviResorts.com or directly through the resort, you may contact us via email at hurricanequestions@diviresorts.com. Please keep in mind, representatives will reach out to those with the earliest arrival dates first.

If you booked your stay through a travel agent or 3rd party provider, you will need to contact them directly to cancel your reservation, according to their cancellation policy.

With your help, patience and positive thoughts, we WILL get through this together. We are 100% dedicated to rebuilding our resort, not just as it was before, but even better, and we can’t wait to see our beautiful island flourish once again!

Please continue to watch for updates on the anticipated reopening date and progress via email and on Facebook.

Thank you.”
 

Gaozhen

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Thanks for the updates! We've been following on FB and the Divi website as well, good to hear the updates. We're in the midst of closing on a week 12 2br (yay!) and hoped to go next March to help with economic revenue, but will just have to wait.
 

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Divi staff protest reduced days, pay, GM says company trying its best”

The Daily Herald/ Islands/ October 13, 2017


https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islan...uced-days-pay-gm-says-company-trying-its-best

“LITTLE BAY--A group of upset Divi Little Bay Beach Resort workers stood in protest at the entrance of the resort on Thursday to contest management’s move to reduce their work days and consequently their pay.

The workers also claimed that they were unceremoniously told to leave the property, if they were not willing to work the reduced days offered.
In an invited comment Divi’s Acting General Manager Thijs Scheepers said there is work for everyone and the workers will be able to resume their tasks on Monday. “We have permanent and contracted workers and for us everyone is important and we want to ensure that everyone is taken care of,” Scheepers assured.
The company reduced the work week of its staffers from six to three days. The workers said they toiled arduously over the past weeks to clean the property following the destruction caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria and as soon as they completed the cleaning, management sprung the reduced work week on them and sent them home on Thursday after they worked the three days offered earlier this week....”
 

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WIFOL, Divi set minimum work week for employees”

The Daily Herald / Islands/ October 17, 2017


https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/70172-wifol-divi-set-minimum-work-week-for-employees

“LITTLE BAY--The Workers Institute for Organised Labour (WIFOL) and the top brass of Divi Little Bay Beach Resort on Tuesday set a new minimum work week for the resort staffers.

The work week has been reduced from six to four days for all permanent workers. The new minimum work week comes days after workers held a protest action in front of the resort contesting the reduction of their work week from six to three days, a move that the union had said was a unilateral decision by the company that was in contravention of the Collective Labour Agreement (CLA). The protest action led to a meeting between the WIFOL and several Divi overseas executives....”
 

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Post from Divi Little Bay’s Facebook
November 7, 2017

“We were all smiles on St. Maarten yesterday as our staff received checks from YOUR generous donations to the GoFundMe campaign, which has now raised more than $50,000!

We celebrated the special occasion with a delicious cake and refreshments, plus a formal check presentation.

The entire staff sends their love and gratitude for all of the uplifting words of encouragement and generous donations.

The GoFundMe campaign will remain open for anyone who still wishes to donate to the cause. Every little bit helps! Donate here: http://bit.ly/2m165QV

We can’t wait to welcome back guests, owners and members to St. Maarten when the resort reopens in May 2018!”

#staystrongsxm
 
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