Governor Franklyn Richards says that our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti at this point in time after the country just suffered a devastating earthquake according to preliminary reports.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake followed by a number of aftershocks measuring over magnitude 5.0.
"The prayers of the nation and government are with the people of Haiti. Reports on damage and loss of life are not fully known and would become more apparent on Wednesday.
"Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti first and foremost and to the St. Maarten/St. Martin Haitian community. We expect that many of our brethren have friends and family members living in Port-au-Prince and surrounding neighbourhoods. We are in solidarity with you and you are in our prayers," Governor Richards told the Government Information Service (GIS).
The earthquake was centered about 10 miles west from Port-au-Prince and had a depth of approximately five miles.