Hurricane Irma Wipes A Caribbean Island Off The Map
The intensity of Hurricane Irma is already making a huge impact on those in the path of this storm’s fury. The hurricane has even wiped an entire island off the map, destroying almost every building on it and flooding it to the point that it’s now underwater.
The tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda is “uninhabitable” and “literally underwater” after it was steamrolled by Hurricane Irma. Officials in the Caribbean said as the superstorm’s confirmed death toll climbed to eight and it could still go higher. Barbuda could take years to make habitable again.
“As it stands, Barbuda is practically uninhabitable,” Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne told Antigua/Barbuda Broadcasting Services. He added that the destruction on the island, which is home to about 1,800 people was “heart-wrenching” and most of it is now completely underwater.
“A significant number of the houses have been totally destroyed,” his chief of staff Lionel Hurst said. At least one of the eight deaths caused by Irma was confirmed on the island of Barbuda. Originally, Browne’s optimistic Facebook post claimed that Barbuda and Antigua had both stood up to Irma’s wrath. Antigua, which is home to around 80,000 people was not hit nearly as hard as Barbuda.
“It is clear that Antigua and Barbuda has stood up to a mighty test,” he wrote in the statement posted to Facebook. But he revised his opinion after taking a helicopter ride to survey the damage to Barbuda, which is just 30 miles north of Antigua. “I never contemplated any possibility that you could have such a contrast,” he said of the relative destruction. Browne also said that 95% of the buildings on Barbuda were damaged and 30% percent of the buildings on the island completely demolished when the core of the Category 5 hurricane crossed almost directly over the island early Wednesday. “Barbuda now is literally rubble,” Browne said.
Statement by the Hon Gaston Browne. Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda
Preliminary remarks on the passage of Hurricane Irma
6th September 2017
My first words must be of thanks. Thanks to Almighty God in all his forms for standing at our side at a time of great adversity. There is no doubt that the Good Lord is on our side. We in Antigua have weathered the most powerful hurricane ever to storm its way through the Caribbean. And we have done so with stunning results. The forecast was that Antigua would be devastated, our infrastructure demolished, people killed and our economy destroyed. In the light of day, the picture is very different. In Antigua, no life has been lost – all the people survived. The guests in our hotels are all well. Even our animals were protected from this massive storm. Our airport will be open for flights into and out of Antigua by 2pm today. The people of Antigua should all be very proud of the part that each of them played in our impressive story of readiness and resilience. I dare to say that no other country in the Caribbean would have been as well prepared as we were. People heeded the warnings of my government to treat Hurricane Irma with absolute seriousness, and everyone did. Properties were properly shuttered and protected, and neighbours and friends opened their homes to less fortunate persons to shelter through the long night. There was a chain of brotherhood and sisterhood that strengthened our collective resolve. The work that the government initiated in advance of the storm paid remarkable dividends. The drains, gutters and reservoirs that were cleared in advance, ensured that the island experienced no flooding, hence eliminating the possibility of water-borne disease. While there has been property damage, it is not anywhere near the horrendous injury that was feared. The essential point is that our main infrastructure has stood-up and our country can resume normal life within hours. From early this morning, the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force has been on the streets clearing fallen trees and debris. They were followed by contingents from the Solid Waste Unit. Ours has been an exceptional story of resilience, honed by past experience and by the high level of our preparedness to confront the challenges of the world’s mightiest and most dangerous hurricane. With regard to Barbuda, preliminary reports indicate damage to rooves and to some buildings, but I have had no report of any fatalities. Barbuda too benefitted from a high level of readiness, responsive to the urgings of the government and from the preparations that were made in advance, including the shelter constructed for that purpose. I was able to drive through many areas of Antigua since 5.30 this morning and I was heartened by what I saw. I intend to visit Barbuda at the earliest opportunity to see conditions on the island for myself. Meantime, it is clear that Antigua and Barbuda has stood up to a mighty test. Our preparedness led to impressive resilience. Our people are safe, our country is secure and our piece of paradise remains open to be shared by people from all over the world. God bless you, and God continue to bless our beloved land – Antigua and Barbuda. 
Browne went on to say that he would order both islands (Antigua and what’s left of Barbuda) evacuated should Hurricane Jose, which is brewing out in the Atlantic, head their way.
So far, Irma has claimed the lives of eight people. A 2-year-old child died while the family tried to escape Barbuda, the prime minister said. Another death was reported in Anguilla, and six people died in the French part of St. Martin. The death toll is expected to rise higher as recovery crews survey and begin to work on the damages sustained.
So far, the storm has also inflicted significant damage on St. Martin, St. Bart’s, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands before it left more than 900,000 people in Puerto Rico without electricity, and 50,000 without water. It is expected to continue its path through Cuba before making landfall in Florida on Sunday.
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