After refusing to accept conditions to release millions of euros in aid, Dutch Saint Martin's premier has resigned. The Netherlands had called for assurances of accountability to release aid money in the wake of Irma.
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Dutch Saint Martin's Prime Minister William Marlin on Friday announced his resignation amid a political spat with the Netherlands over the terms of hundreds of millions of euros in relief aid, according to Dutch media reports.
Despite pressure from the Dutch government and two votes of no confidence in Saint Martin's parliament, Marlin had refused to step down, accusing The Hague of orchestrating a "political conspiracy" to oust him.
Since Hurricane Irma swept across the island in September, devastating some 70 percent of infrastructure on the Dutch side, Marlin has refused to agree on conditions proposed by the Dutch government to release some 550 million euros ($656 million) in aid.
The conditions aimed to safeguard the funds, including requiring the government to set up a monitoring system to oversee the monetary flow and implement anti-corruption measures.
'Rules of the game'
In October, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte lashed out at Marlin's refusal to accept the conditions, saying the local government in Saint Martin needed to be accountable for assistance and relief.
"We took this decision because we want to start rebuilding Saint Martin, a process which is now being jeopardized by these developments," Rutte said. "The Netherlands is ready to help, but everybody has to stick to the democratic rules of the game."
On Friday, Rutte announced that the funds would be released, including an additional 67 million euros ($80 million) for the nearby islands of Saba and Saint Eustatius. "It's really urgent that reconstruction should start as soon as possible," he said.
Hurricane Irma rips through Caribbean and US southeastern states
Hurricane Irma cut a swathe of destruction as it roared through the Caribbean and southeast US. Tropical islands were turned into piles of rubble while some 6.5 million people in Florida have been left without power.
Image: Reuters/A. Baez
Strongest-ever Atlantic storm
Hurricane Irma has killed dozens of people and injured many more since the record-breaking storm roared over the French Caribbean islands. With its powerful winds having topped 185 miles (295 kilometers) per hour, Irma is the strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the US National Hurricane Center based in Miami.
Image: Reuters/C. Barria
Saint Martin: Death and destruction
The Franco-Dutch island of Saint Martin suffered the full fury of the storm. Rescuers on the French side said at least eight people died and some 95 percent of homes were destroyed. The Netherlands and France both sent troops and medics to help with rescue efforts.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. v. Es
Barbuda: 'Total carnage'
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Barbuda was a "scene of total carnage." Officials on the tiny two-island nation said it will seek international assistance. He further reported that about half of Barbuda's 1,800 population were homeless while nine out of 10 buildings had suffered damage, many of them destroyed.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Jno-Baptiste
Puerto Rico: Without power, homes
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello said about two-thirds of the island's 3.4 million inhabitants lost electricity in the storm. Shelters have been set up for about 62,000 people whose homes were destroyed.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/dpa/C. Giusti
Cuba: Devastation, once again
Irma crawled across Cuba's northern coast, bearing down on the island nation as a Category 5 hurricane. It left thousands of homes, businesses and hotels flooded. The hurricane's storm surge topped Malecon, the iconic seaside boulevard in the capital of Havana. Cuba is often hit by hurricanes that strike the Caribbean.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/R.Espinosa
Florida: Catastrophic winds
Irma made US landfall in Key West, then again on Marcos Island on the US state of Florida's Gulf Coast. The storm brought several tornadoes, which leveled homes in the eastern city of Palm Bay. In Miami, hurricane-force winds brought down two cranes. State authorities have vowed a swift response to aid victims of the hurricane and cleanup its devastation.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/O.Sentinel
Georgia and South Carolina: Irma downgraded to tropical depression
Although Georgia and South Carolina avoided the worst of Irma's destructive path, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency after 340,000 were left without electricity and four people died. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, one the world's busiest airports, was forced to cancel some 800 flights on Monday.
Image: Reuters/T. Chappell
Wildlife: Another victim
The destructive storm also left other victims in its wake, namely marine wildlife. The hurricane caused water levels to rise and fall much quicker than normal, leaving some animals, like this manatee, behind to die on land.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M.Sechler
Irregular hurricane season
Irma follows hot on the heels of Hurricane Harvey which devastated large swathes of Texas and Louisiana in late August. Before Irma made landfall in the US, two other storms, Jose in the Atlantic Ocean and Katia in the Gulf of Mexico, were upgraded to hurricane status. Weather forecasters believe Jose could still pose a threat to the continental US.