Members of a Bangor-area wedding party stranded by Hurricane Irma on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten are safe Saturday in the Dominican Republic, and boarding a plane for Toronto.
Marissa Brown of Hermon said Saturday morning by phone from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic that she had just checked in on a flight to Toronto.
“The entire wedding party is safe and got out together this morning. Everybody is in good spirits,” said Brown, a longtime friend of the groom, Joe Riley of Bangor. Riley and Amanda Peterson were married last Sunday, Brown said.
The party of 14 weathered the storm at the Sonesta Maho Ocean Point on Sint Maarten, which Brown said is now “a refugee camp” serving as a supply drop for the American Red Cross.
She described the aftermath of the hurricane as “total devastation,” and was eager to leave before the arrival of Hurricane Jose.
“There were yachts — big yachts with helicopters on them — on the land,” she said. “And the airport is completely gone, just a pile of rubbish.”
Brown said members of the wedding party helped resort staff restart a generator and obtain water to flush toilets and to boil for drinking water.
“People on the island were in survival mode,” she said, adding that they were warned that “armed looters” would arrive in the next few days.
Most of the wedding party arrived on the island Sept. 1, a few days after the bride and groom.
“By the time we learned how serious [the storm] was, there was no way to evacuate,” she said.
Sun Wing airline is flying the party to Toronto free of charge, Brown said, “just to get us out of here. Then we’ll have to figure out stuff after that” to get back to Maine.
While the airport buildings in Sint Maarten were destroyed, the wedding party was able to board a plane to the Dominican Republic from the tarmac, with members of the military from several countries standing by, she said.
“It’s terrifying,” Brown said. “I have three little children at home. My biggest concern was that they knew I was alive. It’s been a long ride.”