
Restoring the Princess: A case study indisaster response, recovery, and resilience Mark Lunsford, Joanna Moody, Rohan Shah, and Tatsuo Harada A case study in disaster response, recovery, and resilience from theSint Maarten Airport Terminal Reconstruction © 2026 The World Bank1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433Telephone: +1-202-473-1000; Internet:www.worldbank.org Some rights reserved This work is a product of The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressedin this work do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or currency of the data includedin this work and does not assume responsibility for any errors, omissions, or discrepancies inthe information, or liability with respect to the use of or failure to use the information, methods,processes, or conclusions set forth. The boundaries, colors, denominations, links/footnotes and other Nothing herein shall constitute or be construed or considered to be a limitation upon or waiver of theprivileges and immunities of The World Bank, all of which are specifically reserved. Rights and Permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages disseminationof its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as Attribution Please cite the work as follows: “Mark Lunsford, Joanna Moody, Rohan Shah, and Tatsuo Harada.2026. Restoring the Princess: A case study in disaster response, recovery, and resilience fromthe Sint Maarten Airport Terminal Reconstruction. Mobility and Transport Connectivity Series. Any queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World BankPublications, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; Table of Contents Abbreviations and Acronyms........................................................................................................................ix 1.1Case study objectives and methodology.............................................................................................21.2Country and airport context (pre-Irma)..............................................................................................3 Evolution of the Hurricane Response..........................................................................................................11 2.1Immediate response (2017)..................................................................................................................122.2Strategic planning and early reconstruction (2018)......................................................................152.3Financial challenges, uncertainty, and progress (2019)................................................................162.4Progress despite the COVID-19 pandemic and government changes (2020)..........................19 The Airport Terminal Reconstruction Project..........................................................................................22 3.1ATRP overview.......................................................................................................................................233.2Implementation arrangements and project partners...................................................................253.3Financing the ATRP...............................................................................................................................283.4Phased terminal reopening..................................................................................................................293.5Key implementation challenges affecting the recoverytimeline...............................................30 Lessons Learned............................................................................................................................................49 4.1Disaster preparedness...........................................................................................................................514.2Disaster response and reconstruction projects.............................................................................544.3Looking forward: A vision for PJIA’s future......................................................................................57 Image Credits.................................................................................................................................................60 Figures Figure E.1Phased re-opening of the PJIA passenger terminal.................................................................xvFigure 1.1Diagram of uplift from Hurricane wind forces acting on a roof..............................................7Figure 1.2PJIA monthly passenger enplanements showing the impact of the HurricanesinSeptember 2017.............................................................................................................................9Figure 2.1