Recovery of the Island of Saint Martin after Hurricane Irma: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

Gwenaël Jouannic, Anaïs Ameline, Kelly Pasquon, Oscar Navarro, Chloé Tran Duc Minh, Abdel Halim Boudoukha, Marie-Aude Corbillé, Denis Crozier, Ghozlane Fleury-Bahi, Julien Gargani and Paul Guéro
Additional contact information
Gwenaël Jouannic: Cerema Ouest, 9 rue René Viviani, 44220 Nantes, France
Anaïs Ameline: Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire, University of Nantes, BP 81227-44312, Nantes CEDEX 3, 44000 Nantes, France
Kelly Pasquon: Cerema Ouest, 9 rue René Viviani, 44220 Nantes, France
Oscar Navarro: Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire, University of Nantes, BP 81227-44312, Nantes CEDEX 3, 44000 Nantes, France
Chloé Tran Duc Minh: Cerema Ouest, 9 rue René Viviani, 44220 Nantes, France
Abdel Halim Boudoukha: Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire, University of Nantes, BP 81227-44312, Nantes CEDEX 3, 44000 Nantes, France
Marie-Aude Corbillé: Cerema Centre Est, 46 Boulevard Saint Théobald, 38080 L’Isle d’Abeau, France
Denis Crozier: Cerema Ouest, 9 rue René Viviani, 44220 Nantes, France
Ghozlane Fleury-Bahi: Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire, University of Nantes, BP 81227-44312, Nantes CEDEX 3, 44000 Nantes, France
Julien Gargani: GEOPS, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, bat. 509, 91405 Orsay, France
Paul Guéro: Cerema Méditerranée, Département Risques Eau Construction, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 20, 1-25

Abstract: This study focuses on the ongoing recovery of the French part of the island of Saint Martin following Hurricane Irma in September 2017. The recovery of this semi-autonomous territory is a major challenge for local authorities and the French state. Based on the hypothesis that the consequences of natural disaster would be an opportunity for a territory to build back better, this study aims to understand the recovery trajectory that is underway on the island of Saint Martin 2 years after Hurricane Irma. Our analysis of Saint Martin’s recovery from natural hazards is based on three factors: (1) the historical context and the evolution of building construction over the past 70 years; (2) the organization of local and national authorities; (3) the perception of the situation by the population. This original interdisciplinary approach of the post-disaster recovery phase provides a better understanding of the complexity of this period. The results of this study and the cross-analysis of these three methods highlight the causal links between the governance of the reconstruction, the psycho-sociological recovery of the disaster victims, and the history of the urbanization of an island exposed to natural hazards.

Keywords: Saint Martin; Hurricane Irma; resilience; urban planning; reconstruction governance; psycho-sociological recovery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:20:p:8585-:d:429306

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