The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to avoid travel to The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, and the Eastern Caribbean due to Hurricane Irma. Hurricane Jose is expected to affect the same areas soon.
The safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is a top priority of the Department of State. These storms are expected to bring significant rainfall and wind that may result in life-threatening flooding, mudslides, and storm surges. Disruptions to travel and services have been reported throughout the projected path of the hurricane. U.S. citizens should follow the emergency instructions provided by local authorities and contact their air carrier for assistance rebooking travel.
We urge U.S. citizens in the impacted area who are safe to contact their loved ones directly and/or update their social media status.
We recommend U.S. citizens who were unable to depart in advance of the hurricane’s arrival to shelter in place in a secure location.
If you are in the affected area and need immediate emergency services, please contact local authorities.
Local numbers for police and emergency services:
- Cuba: 106
- Haiti: +509-3838-11 or +509-3733-3640
- The Dominican Republic: 911
- The Bahamas: 919 or 911
- St. Maarten (Dutch side): 911
- St. Martin and St. Barthélemy: The French Ministry of Interior has set up a public line emergency line: Tel: 01 82 71 03 37.
- St. Eustatius: 911 (police) and 910 or 912 (medical)
- Saba: 911 (police) and 912 (medical)
For U.S. Citizens in Dutch St. Maarten: The Department of State is exploring every possible option to assist U.S. citizens in Dutch St. Maarten. At this time, the airport and seaports are closed. Communication infrastructure has been heavily damaged. There is no U.S. consular presence on the island. U.S. citizens should follow the instructions provided by local authorities and call 911 locally if they require immediate assistance. Shelters are available at the following locations:
- New Testament Baptist Church in Philipsburg;
- Sister Marie-Laurence Primary School in Middle Region;
- Belvedere Community Center in Belvedere;
- Dutch Quarter Community Center in Dutch Quarter;
- Rupert I Maynard Youth Community Center St. Peters;
- NIPA National Institute for Professional Advancement Cay Hill;
- Christian Fellowship Church Across from Pineapple Pete’s Cole Bay.
For U.S. Citizens in French St. Martin: There is no U.S. consular presence on the island. U.S. citizens should follow the instructions provided by local authorities. The French Ministry of Interior has set up a public line emergency line (Tel: 01 82 71 03 37) and provided a list of shelters in St. Martin and in St. Barthelemy.
You can inform the Department of State about U.S. citizens affected by the hurricane who require emergency assistance through the following ways:
Visit Task Force Alert (tfa.state.gov) and select “2017 Hurricane Irma.”
o If you are entering information about a U.S. citizen in Dutch St. Maarten, Anguilla, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, or St. Eustatius use “Netherlands” as the Last Known Country.
o If you are entering information about a U.S. citizen in French St. Martin, Montserrat, St. Barthélemy, or St. Kitts and Nevis, use “Barbados” as the Last Known Country.
o If you are entering information about a U.S. citizen in Turks and Caicos, use “The Bahamas” as the Last Known Country.
o If you have difficulty using Task Force Alert, please email IrmaEmergencyUSC@state.gov and provide as much information as possible about your loved one.
- Email IrmaEmergencyUSC@state.gov and provide as much information as possible (at a minimum, please provide their full name, gender, and last known location within country, if known).
- Call us at 1-888-407-4747 (from the U.S. & Canada), +1-202-501-4444 (from Overseas).
If you are concerned about non-U.S. citizens in Saba, St Eustatius, and St Maarten, please see the Netherlands Red Cross Safe and Well website.
We advise U.S. citizens to read and follow Department of State Travel Warnings:
Current and anticipated operational status of associated U.S. embassies:
- Cuba: Consular operations at U.S. Embassy Havana remain open for limited services at this time.
- Haiti: Consular operations at U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince remain open for limited services at this time.
- Dominican Republic: Consular operations at U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo remain open for limited services at this time.
- The Bahamas: Consular operations at the U.S. Embassy in Nassau will remain open for emergency services. U.S. citizens should contact the U.S. Embassy or Department of State in Washington for emergency services.
Please see the latest Emergency Message on the applicable U.S. Embassy websites for additional information about this event:
Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean: https://bb.usembassy.gov/
Emergency After-Hours Telephone: (246) 227-4000
Cuba: https://cu.usembassy.gov/
Emergency After-Hours Telephone +(53)(7)839-4100
Haiti: https://ht.usembassy.gov/
Emergency After-Hours Telephone + (509) 2229-8000
Dominican Republic: https://do.usembassy.gov/
Emergency After-Hours Telephone +(809) 368-7777
The Bahamas: https://bs.usembassy.gov/
Emergency After-Hours Telephone +(242)357-7004
U.S. citizens traveling and residing abroad are encouraged to enroll their travel plans on our website, travel.state.gov, using the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), and to read the Country Specific Information also found on the site.
