Island Info
Island Life · 4 min read

Recovering From Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma devastated St. Maarten / St. Martin on September 5, 2017. Leisure Car Rental suffered 90% damage — close to US $1,000,000 in uncompensated losses. In the weeks afterward, with both sides of the island shut down and internet barely working, we worked tirelessly to salvage what we could and begin rebuilding.

An award amid the wreckage

When a shaky connection finally returned, our inbox held news that we'd won the 2017 World Travel Award for St. Maarten's Leading Car Rental Company. With bigger problems to solve, we popped a bottle of wine, congratulated each other, and kept working. (The ceremony itself was later canceled because of the storm.)

We fixed what we could, sold what we couldn't, and added new cars. A year on we were operating at 50% capacity and climbing, and we were nominated for three more international awards. Our deepest thanks to the friends, family and customers who helped us get back on our feet.

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