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Pictures: Three Months Later.

Well folks, today marks three months since Hurricane Irma made landfall on St. John. I took several pictures along North Shore Road just days after Irma hit. I took those same pictures 27 days later. And again today, I took the very same pics. Sometimes images are more powerful than words. I think that’s the case here. These pictures illustrate the remarkable strength this island has, as well as the progress that has been made over the past three months. St. John remains one of the most beautiful places in the world, even after two category five hurricanes, and even on a somewhat rainy day like today.

Please check out the pics…

Cruz Bay overlook
Cruz Bay overlook – September 10
October 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Cruz Bay looking inland
Cruz Bay looking inland – September 10
October 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Virgin Islands National Park sign - North Shore Road
Virgin Islands National Park sign – North Shore Road – September 10
vi park sign oct 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Just past the sign - you can now see Caneel Bay
Just past the sign – you can now see Caneel Bay – September 10
October 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Caneel Bay - Zozo's
Caneel Bay – Zozo’s – September 10
October 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Entrance to Caneel Bay
Entrance to Caneel Bay – September 10
October 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Beach sign in front of Caneel Bay entrance
Beach sign in front of Caneel Bay entrance – September 10
road at caneel oct 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Hawksnest
Hawksnest – September 10
October 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Gibney Cottages
Gibney Cottages – September 10
October 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Oppenheimer gate
Oppenheimer gate – September 10
October 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Entrance to Jumbie
Entrance to Jumbie – September 10
October 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Trunk Bay overlook
Trunk Bay overlook – September 10
trunk oct 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
Just before entrance to Trunk Bay
Just before entrance to Trunk Bay – September 10
October 7
October 7
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017
September 2017
September 2017
December 6, 2017
December 6, 2017

What do you all think? I say it’s time to come back…

45 thoughts on “Pictures: Three Months Later.”

  1. Thanks for sharing those pictures! It makes me so happy to see everything coming back! My heart still breaks for Maho, I’m praying that too will be ok soon.

  2. Awesome! Thanks for sharing! Sucks we had to cancel our vacay over Thanksgiving, but we’re looking forward to getting back there as soon as we can use our timeshare at the Westin! Keep the pics/vids coming!

  3. Thank you so much for posting these – they lift our hearts! Cannot wait to come help our beautiful STJ, and then come again to enjoy.

  4. Wow!!! I can hardly believe it. It’s nearing the point where, concerning the vegetation, it barely looks like anything happened. That is wonderful. There is definitely something very powerful in that Island. Almost magical. Can’t wait to get back on island! Thank you Jenn! And once again, keep up the outstanding work you are doing.

  5. Happy it looks sooo much like what it should…if all that can happen i have faith in maho beach and her turtles…keep em coming

  6. Thanks for the photos demonstrating the comeback of the island. My wife and I just booked for March. Looking forward to returning to our home away from home. Thanks for all you are doing to share these daily updates.

    • Hi….I was just curious how the island looked during your recent visit. We stayed on the Coral Bay side and I would love to go back but just wondering how accessible everything is on the island. Thanks.

  7. Thanks for sharing, so important to get the word out that the islands are rebounding. We’re continuing to monitor business openings and power restoration so we can book something for Feb/March.

  8. Jenn,
    You made my day with these heartwarming photos. So glad to see the beauty returning. You are doing a huge service to St. John, keep up the outstanding work! I check your blog daily!

  9. Just want to send along my gratitude for your incredible commitment to keeping this blog updated. I’ve been following along everyday and sending love and light to your community during this time of rebuilding.
    My wife and I will be celebrating our honeymoon on the island at the end of the month and went back and forth for the last two months deciding whether or not to postpone our trip. Your updates have been tremendously helpful (and beautiful)!
    We are super excited for our visit (first ever to STJ) and look forward to supporting the community in person with our resources!

  10. Thank you for keeping us updated!!
    It’s incredible to 1- see the destruction Irma caused and 2 – how quickly the island has bounced back !

  11. WOW, amazing. My favorite of all your posts. So inspiring and uplifting. Thank you for doing this. We have tickets for April. Hoping to help fuel the economy on our favorite island.

  12. We will be coming back in April and we were wondering if they will be rebuilding the concession stand at trunk bay and also shipwrecks landing. Thank you Jenn for all your picturess and information it has been very helpful.

  13. I still have not heard anything about the status of the coral reefs around the island. Everything is looking good above the water line but haven’t seen any pictures or heard word about below the water line. That is one of the main reasons why I love going to St. John.

  14. Thank you! That is fantastic! We will be there over Christmas and can’t wait! I am so happy! Thanks for all the wonderful posts and keeping us up to date!

  15. Thank you so much for your fantastic job in keeping us updated on what’s happening on St John. We had questions about our reservations in February but your updates & pictures, (the latest ones are incredible) have helped us to keep the faith. By February you’ll be saying “what storms”. Thanks again for all that you are doing!!!!

  16. While time heals all, in this case, it’s obviously WITH much blood, sweat and tears on so many people’s behalf. Thank you for the constant updates Jenn!

  17. Mother Nature is amazing! So happy to see the wonderful island flourishing. Keep sharing…each update I get more excited about our annual late spring/early summer tip..

  18. Thanks for all your great photojournalism and honest reporting, Jenn. Great to see the vegetation coming back, but what is your assessment of the coral reefs? Most of our favorite bars and restaurants have not reopened and our favorite places to stay were totally wiped out. We decided to skip SJ this spring until we see what comes back. What’s your best guess for spring 2019? Thanks for all you do.

  19. Excellent comparison photographs Jenn! You made me cry happy tears!! The comparison really shows us just how far along everything has come. If that is just three months, spring should be fantastic. As soon as we get the go ahead from our rental we will be back on Island again! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!

  20. Wow, just W. O. W!! Those pictures are amazing!! Thanks for heading out and snapping them!

    I have to say that my favorite parts of seeing the island come back is three fold. First of all, I am happy to see the lush green hillsides dropping off to that beautiful blue we all search for in any other aspect of our lives and can never find.

    Secondly, It makes my heart soar for the beautiful people who live on the island year round who rely on tourism $$ just to be able to sustain themselves, With all your hard work, we will be back sooner than I think people could have ever anticipated. Thanks also, to all the workers, Kenny, Bloomberg, St John Rescue, the park workers, and anyone else who has taken part in any piece of this monumental cleanup!

    But, my third, and what feels the most important reason is this:
    We have all gotten to know one another on a different level through this horrible tragedy. The beauty of each individual shined in the support we each could provide one another. Whether that be with financial giving of our own, the working together to raise awareness and money in the states, or just the sharing of any new messages from the island when we were all sitting on pins and needles stateside to hear anything moments after the storm struck.
    I don’t know about all of you, but my love of the island has grown 10 fold. To my dear friends that I felt huddled next to during the storm (stateside on our computers), I adore you and feel so close to you.
    There have certainly been bonds created by this devastation. Bonds with people who share the same love of the island, the “one love” we all talk about. I don’t know about you guys, but my “one love” has grown immensely.
    I am forever grateful for that.

    Love,
    Lisa

    • Well said!! I totally agree. I don’t think I ever took STJ for granted, but I certainly appreciate her natural beauty and the amazing people there so much more now, as well as the wonderful people stateside who have come out in droves to support their beloved island. Sometimes having something taken away from you is the only true way to realize it’s value in your heart. Can’t wait to set foot there in Feb, as I have been doing for many, many years. I feel like everyone I see will be a friend I just haven’t met yet.

  21. I read your column every day and sometimes more than once a day to review all the comments and just love hearing the news! Happy to hear someone has seen turtles at Maho also! Cannot wait to come back, just not sure when we can. Villa we reserved was destroyed. Many tears have been shed, reading your column and seeing your pictures really makes my days. Love Saint John and want to get back to support everyone there and help out the precious economy everyone who lives there so relies upon!

  22. Jenn,
    Thanks so much for your wonderful and detailed account of the recovery efforts on St John following the storms. My family reads the blog every evening and marvels at the resiliency of all the folks who call St. John home. Yes, it is time to return and we are booked in for our March visit.

  23. Last week, we put a deposit on an alternative rental for February. Every day that goes by when I see posts like this, I am more and more happy we committed to the trip.

    • Wow. Someone should have set up a time lapse camera. I bet we could see that foliage growing. This is a great photo essay. Thanks Jenn.

  24. Really appreciate the pictures you are presenting. They really give a sense of hope for the near future of St John. Loved your formatting. Much gratitude.

  25. So happy to see even more vegetation has returned. We can’t wait to come back. Thank you so much for updating us on progress.

  26. Thank u so much for your updates and pictures. St John is our go to place to be away from the hustle and bustle of busy lives. We have sent many prayers your way and so excited to see and hear the island is starting to slowly get back to its original beauty.We are planning a trip back in Feb if our house is available.

  27. I would like to see pictures of something other than trees. There is much more to the recovery story. How are the residents doing? Pictures of houses blown apart and scattered over the hillsides. Updates of debris being cleaned and piled high. Take a pic of the ballfield in Coral Bay. Pics of people rebuilding there homes and lives. I believe just posting pics of things turning green present only a small portion of the story and give potential tourist the false impression that all is good. This place is still a mess. Roads are treacherous with many places reduced to one lane by land slides, collapsed sections, and places reduced to mud rather than pavement. Take a drive down Centerline. I’m not being negative just realistic.

    • I’m sorry Joan, but I will never show pictures of anyone’s home that is destroyed. That is not what I do here. And I have shown Centerline and the rockslides, etc. I took my guests down Centerline last week, past the ballfields in Coral Bay and over to Oasis. Is that area perfect? No. Did they still tell me it’s beautiful? Yes.

  28. Jenn, we appreciate your updates, more than you will ever know! We look forward to meeting you next year, when we return to our much loved STJ.

  29. Jenn – This is amazing! Thanks so much! STJ still has a long way to go but these pictures show the resilience of the island’s greenery! I hope you don’t mind but I shared the link on Tripadvisor. 🙂 CANNOT wait to be there the day after Christmas!

  30. I agree! It’s time to come back! We’ll be there in FEBRUARY for 12 days… absolutely cannot wait!!!!!

    Thank you for all you do, Jenn.

    (:

  31. Looking at these pictures, I kept saying “wow!” “amazing!”!! 3 months later and it’s looking so much better!
    As always, I love your updates! Looks like STJ is ready for tourists! <3

  32. BRAVO to the regenerative power of Mother Nature and the incredible resilient spirit of the people of St. John! And again, BRAVO!

  33. Jenn, thank you so much for these updates. I read every one of your posts. We arrive for the winter on 1/9 and I was wondering if you could do an update on internet access with both VIYA and Broadbandvi. Also what cell phone coverage there is and who are the best carriers. Thinking we may have to switch to a different carrier (AT&T?) if we won’t have service with VIYA. Thanks for all you do.

  34. Thank you for the updates! Having been planning our first trip to St John and Jost for 10 years now and was going to cancel after the hurricanes, but after reading you updates, we are for sure coming next November and are really looking forward to our trip. Keep up the great service, you are making a huge difference for the island!
    Cheers,
    Matt and Julie

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