Hurricane-hit islands ‘look like something out of a horror movie’
Hurricane-battered British overseas territories look “apocalyptic” and like “something out of a horror movie”, the International Development Secretary has said.
Priti Patel was on a whistlestop tour of the Caribbean as she announced a £5 million pledge of UK aid to help Dominica, an island which was ravaged by Hurricane Maria earlier this week.
On Sunday she visited the British Virgin Island of Jost Van Dyke and then Anguilla to survey the level of devastation caused when they were pum- melled by Hurricane Irma. “The scene is like something out of a horror movie, very apocalyptic,” she said when describing her first impressions of some of the damage.
“And when you look at the landscape as well, we have seen decimation of all green vegetation, everything has gone. It is very stark.”
She began the trip, which Ms Patel said she was “adamant” to undertake, with a visit to HMS Ocean, Britain’s biggest in service warship that was recently re-tasked to help with aid efforts. The helicopter carrier and amphibious assault ship arrived in the region on Friday packed with 60 tonnes of UK aid - almost doubling the amount in the region. After inspecting the cargo of shelter kits, tools, vehicles, building materials and buckets, she toured the rest of the ship with the captain, Robert Pedre.