Paradise Restored: A Photographic Tour

Published March 01, 2005

After Hurricane Fabian ravaged the tiny island of Bermuda in 2003, Jeff Sousa, president of Sousa's Landscape Management Southampton, Bermuda, visited clients' properties, offering a strong crew to clear away debris and bring the damaged landscapes back to their tropical glory. One client that receieved a great deal of attention was the Fairmont Southampton resort, which used the hurricane event as an opportunity to revamp an outdated landscape.

Over just six short weeks, Sousa's team cleared away damaged plant material, fallen trees and other debris that littered the resort's beaches and grounds, then rebuilt the landscape into the tropical paradise visitors longed for.

During that time, Sousa and Mohammed Farooqui, the company's vice resident of operations, armed themselves not only with chainsaws, rakes and shovels, but also with cameras. Their photographs of the before, during and after reconstruction provides a glimpse of how destructive the hurrincane was, and how significantly the landscape has improved.

"There were no storms in the days after Fabian hit, which is good - that's the last thing you want," Sousa says. "The morning after, I fought to get out to our facility and had to deal with trees across the road and driving over debris. Then I went up to the fairmont and saw the place was demolished. I told the management staff, 'I know you have your hands full, but don't worry about the exterior - we've got it.'"

Sousa says the staff was thankful they had a contractor they could depend on, and true to his word, Sousa and his team created a beautiful new landscape for the Fairmont Southampton. Take a look at these before-and-after shots (left and right, respectively) for a taste of the work that went into each aspect of the grounds and read Paradise Restored for a full account of the project.

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Before: Formerly a beautiful pathway on the Fairmont Southampton's property, Hurricane Fabian's wrath created a treacherous-looking path for would-be vacationers. ALL PHOTO: Sousa's Landscape Management

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Before: Debris strewn along Bermuda's coastline by hurricane winds and waves does not a pleasant walk on the beach make.

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Before: This photo shows a stairway on the Fairmont 's grounds that required a good deal of clean-up work after damaged plant material made for a dangerous path

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Before: While Sousa's Landscape Management does not generally manage the Fairmont's golf courses, the damage to palms and other plant materials on this part of the property was extensive.

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Before: Whipping winds tore many palms on the Fiarmont property to shreds, leaving debris on much of the beach side of the resort. Sousa says he and his crew tried to salvage as many palms as possible, as they cannot be imported to the island and new plant material was scarce after the hurricane.

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Before: Sousa's crews worked tirelessly to clear debris from the Fairmont's property, even enlisting the help of hotel staff members who would otherwise have been laid off during the reconstruction period.

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Before: Sousa's reconstruction responsibilities on the grounds included 18 individual landscape around the property, extending from the front lobby to the beach and several areas in between.

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Before: At any hotel, the front entrance is the first place visitors seed when they arrive. Hurricane Fabian took its toll on the Fairmont's lobby area, leaving a less than inviting presence.

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Before: Safety of its guests was the Fairmont's first priority during and after the hurricane, so the hotel was closed to guests during the clean-up and rebuilding phases.

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After: Taken in late 2004, plantings made by Sousa's crew have left the same area looking much more inviting and lush.

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After: Now, with new plantings along the Fairmont's coastline property, calm waters have returned to Bermuda's shores and visitors are back in the water and enjoying the sand between their toes.

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After: Lush plantings have filled in around the same stairway since the 2003 restoration, leading guests on a tropical walk around the resort's spa area.

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After: Sunny skies and blue seas nicely set off the revamped landscape in the hotel's croquet and games area.

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Several varieties of replanted palms have re-established themselves in the Fairmont's landscape, along with Umbrella Tree, daylilies, ferns, birds of paradise, and numberous other tropical plants. The new plant material looks very much in place against the too-blue-to-be-true Atlantic Ocean.

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After: Cleanup and restronation efforts paid off and now Sousa's team keeps the property well maintained throughout the year.

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After: Far from the damaged, dead-looking plant material that was strewn on the grounds after the hurricane, Fairmont guests now have a beautiful view from their balconies.

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After: Per the resort management's request, the Fairmont's front entrance became at top priority as Sousa's crews began rebuilding the ravaged landscape. The hotel used the rebuilding opportunity to bring a more tropical look to the grounds, freshening up the outdated Mediterranean style that had previoysly been in place.

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After: Now, two years later, the Fairmont Southampton is open to guests who often take time to relax in the Bermudan sun near the resort's pool areas. Surrounded by a lush new landscape, beautifully filled in since it's installation, the staff at Sousa's Landscape Management, can be proud of creating the hotel's tropical paradise.

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