The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
UK’s Caribbean territories brace for a potential catastrophe
Hurricane Maria bearing down on areas devastated by earlier storm
UK troops and residents are bracing themselves as the “potentially catastrophic” Hurricane Maria sweeps towards British overseas territories already battered by Irma.
As the category five storm barrels towards the British Virgin Islands (BVI), the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) predicts it could unleash sustained winds of up to 160mph.
Maria has already claimed one life, as officials on the French island of Guadeloupe confirmed a person was killed by a falling tree, and another two are missing after their boat sank.
Describing the storm as “potentially catastrophic” the NHC said: “Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous category four or five hurricane until it moves near or over the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.”
Emergency steps are being undertaken on the BVI to prepare for the looming onslaught.
Relief workers are racing to secure debris left strewn across the islands after Irma, which has the potential to make the coming hurricane “more hazardous” if it is picked up by high winds.
Brigadier John Ridge, second in command of the UK’s Joint Task Force, said: “Whilst the winds will be strong, it doesn’t look like the BVI will suffer quite the same level of wind as they did under Irma,” he said.
“The real concern is the amount of rain and the storm surge. They are predicting between 7ft and 11ft of storm surge, and the problem with the rain is the flooding and run-off associated with that.”
The storm, which made landfall on Dominica on Monday, is following a similar path to Irma, and is expected to reach the British Virgin Islands early today.
Brig Ridge said with the hurricane set to pass very close to or over the US Virgin Islands, he decided to pull out 94 military personnel positioned there.
Hurricane warnings are in place for BVI and Montserrat, with a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning for Anguilla.
The Foreign Office is advising against all travel to the BVI – warning residents to identify shelter “immediately” and be ready to take cover when the hurricane approaches – as well as all but essential travel to Montserrat and Anguilla.
Dominica’s prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit said the hurricane had wrought “widespread devastation”.
The Foreign Office has advised affected Britons in Dominica that the airport is closed and they should follow the advice of local authorities.
“The real concern is the amount of rain and the storm surge.
BRIGADIER JOHN RIDGE