Cay Hill- For the 8th time, the Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School in Cay Hill was honored to assist the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps by providing them with a command center for yet another annual hurricane exercise – HUREX. Between May 1-9, approximately 300 Marines from Sint Maarten, Aruba, and Curacao practiced and simulated different hurricane scenarios at multiple locations in Dutch Sint Maarten.
This preparation exercise is designed to train the soldiers to get themselves and their equipment set up as quickly as possible in the event of another major Hurricane. In this year’s exercise, the soldiers took over the gymnasium and six different classrooms at the Asha Stevens campus in Cay Hill, adjacent to NIPA and the Fire Brigade.
Asha Stevens-Mohabier, Founder and Chief Executive Director of Hillside Christian Schools, said, “It is our great honor to host HUREX for yet another year. There is nobody that we trust more in the event of a major hurricane than these dedicated troops. Our excellent working relationship continues to thrive and we look forward to many more years of collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and their corps”, concluded Stevens.
Sergeant Major Erik Florie, stationed in Sint Maarten, expressed his gratitude to the school by presenting Mrs. Stevens with a plaque as a token of appreciation. “What you and the school does for us every year does not only help us, but it helps the community too. Due to the school’s size and central location, we are able to rehearse different hypothetical scenarios in a practical way and optimize the efficiency with which we prepare for the hurricane season ahead. We are very grateful and pleased with the way this year’s HUREX panned out”, said Florie.
