DJ Touchtone recalls Hurricane Irma in St. Martin

Christie Ileto Image
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
DJ Touchtone recalls Hurricane Irma in St. Martin
DJ Touchtone recalls Hurricane Irma in St. MartinDJ Touchtone recalls Hurricane Irma in St. Martin. Christie Ileto reports during Action News at 11 p.m. on 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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