Looting and Lawlessness Rampant in the Virgin Islands

As Floridians grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, the situation in the Virgin Islands is far more dire. The island paradise was devastated by the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, leaving behind thousands of destroyed and badly damaged structures, ravaged vegetation, fallen cellphone towers and destroyed boats littering the harbors.

This stretch of the Caribbean was largely cut-off from the outside world, leaving residents and trapped tourists at the mercy of machete wielding looters. There were widespread reports of lawlessness by French and Dutch authorities and extra troops were sent in to restore order.

A Looter’s Paradise

On the tiny island divided by the French territory of Saint-Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten, the scene was described as a looter’s paradise. Roving gangs of men armed with guns and machetes reportedly terrorized residents and tourists alike, while other criminals were stalking the piers to raid boats and ships bringing aid to the people.

Residents were hiding inside their ravaged homes and makeshift shelters at nightfall in fear of robbers. Looters also raided the business district on Frontstreet, a shopping destination for thousands of tourists each year. Witnesses said looters were going storefront to storefront stealing everything in sight, even breaking into the customs office to steal weapons.

Emergency Rescues

The French government sent more than 1,100 police, military officials and others to St. Martin and nearby St. Barts, where helicopters were used to identify the cars of people looting stores and homes. France also planned to send additional Foreign Legion troops, paratroopers and other reinforcements and told all residents to stay inside.

Meanwhile, on St. Thomas, U.S officials deployed C-130 military  aircrafts to evacuate U.S. Citizens to Puerto Rico, and hospital patients were evacuated to St. Croix and Puerto Rico on the amphibious USS Wasp. Additionally, a cruise ship operated by the Norwegian Cruise Line was sent on a rescue mission to evacuate some 2,000 tourists to Miami.

Looting in Florida

There were scattered reports of looting during Hurricane Irma in Florida, with as many as 28 people arrested by the Miami-Dade County Police Department. In Fort Lauderdale, police officials said nine people had been arrested. “Going to prison over a pair of sneakers is a fairly bad life choice,” Police Chief Rick Maglione said in a statement.

While it remains to be seen whether any criminal charges will be filed, the penalties for looting are similar to those for theft crimes, and depend on a number of variables, such as whether the looters broke into dwelling or if they damaged property. In any event, if you have been accused of a crime in the wake of Hurricane Irma, you are well advised to speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney.