Published: 29 January 2021
PHILIPSBURG: - NV GEBE, in its continued commitment to address the basic needs in the areas of water, is ensuring that the community of St. Maarten will have access to the supply of water to meet their daily needs such as cooking, drinking, bathing, and washing. Prior to Hurricane Irma in 2017, NV GEBE had 15 water tanks with a storage capacity of 3 days which met the demand of the community.
Traditionally, it has always been common practice to keep water tanks in a full or near full condition to meet peak water use periods and for emergencies such as storms, however, all that changed in 2017, when Hurricane Irma damaged 9 of NV GEBE’s 15 Water Tanks leaving the water infrastructure in a crippled position. The water storage for the island was then reduced to less than half a day of storage due to the magnitude of the devastation. Immediately after Hurricane Irma NV GEBE and the tank manufacturer met to discuss the possibilities of making the