DJ Touchtone recalls Hurricane Irma in St. Martin

Monday, September 11, 2017
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia's DJ Touchtone returned home Monday from vacationing in St. Martin with nothing but the clothes on his back, a small carry on, and a harrowing story of survival.

With his five other senses heightened, the sound of Hurricane Irma's violent winds was chilling to the blind DJ Touchtone.

"A sound that I had never heard before, and of course, I can't see, so that sound - hopefully, I'll never hear it again," Touchtone said. "At that point, I'm scared, I don't know if the door is going to fly open, where I was. Initially at the time, I was told to go into the bathroom and get down."

The Simpson Bay Resort where Touchtone was staying was decimated within a matter of minutes.

He and his friends spent the next four days rationing at their hotel, until they could make it off the ravaged island.

"It got to a point where it went from one bottle of water a day to a cup of water a day," Touchtone said.

By Saturday, he and several other Americans vacationing made it on to a C-130 military cargo jet bound for Puerto Rico, and, then three days later, out of the Caribbean.

"I am very happy to be home. I am happy to be alive. I am fortunate that I can go home, because there are some people on the island of St. Martin that no longer have a home because of Hurricane Irma," Touchtone said.

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