Patten warns over Hong Kong dissent
UK TROOPS and residents were bracing themselves last night for “dangerous” Hurricane Maria as it swept through the Caribbean towards British overseas territories already battered by Irma.
Last night Puerto Rico’s 3.5m inhabitants were left completely without power and its governor asked President Donald Trump to declare the island a disaster area after heavy floods and widespread damage.
Aerial reconnaissance has shown roofs stripped off and power lines torn away in the capital San Juan in winds of up to 140mph.
After rolling by the British Virgin Islands during the early hours yesterday, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said the storm had decreased to a category four as it headed for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The centre said any preparations against a “life-threatening storm surge and rainfall, flooding and destructive winds” should be “rushed to completion”.
Maria has already claimed several lives. 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.
Dominica, where Maria made landfall on Monday, lost nearly all its communications as the storm knocked out phone lines and the island’s broadcast service, and 70 per cent of properties lost their roofs according to reports.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel has described the situation as an “unprecedented crisis” and stressed the UK Government was “working flat out”.
Maria is expected to remain a dangerous major hurricane until tomorrow.
Emergency steps are being undertaken on the Turks and Caicos Islands to prepare for the looming onslaught, with sustained wind speeds predicted to reach 140mph from today.
Brigadier John Ridge, second in command of the UK’s Joint Task Force, said officials are “continuing to track Maria” as it rolls through the Caribbean region.
Ms Patel said: “This is an unprecedented crisis with two hurricanes of such brutal force hitting the Caribbean in less than a fortnight.
“Families have lost their homes, lives have been ripped apart, and the victims of Hurricane Irma are now facing the new threat of Hurricane Maria. But they should know, the UK Government is working flat out to put the right supplies in the right places to cope with the fallout from this new hurricane.”
The Foreign Office is advising against all travel to the British Virgin Islands, as well as all but essential travel to Montserrat, Turks and Caicos and Anguilla.
Hurricane Maria arrived in the region less than two weeks after Hurricane Irma.
More than 1,300 UK troops are in the Caribbean after being sent to help with relief and repair work after Irma.
An additional 42-strong military resilience team has also been deployed to the BVI, ready to offer support and assistance after Maria.
RFA has moved out the way of the hurricane to safety, while HMS which is carrying another 60 tonnes of aid, will drop anchor in the region this weekend.
Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan told BBC Radio 4’s
programme: “This has been a fortnight of just relentless catastrophe.” He said the UK could not have reacted any more quickly.
Hong Kong’s last British governor has urged Chinese president Xi Jinping not to treat the city’s residents as dissidents.
Lord Patten’s comments come amid flaring tensions over calls for independence on the semiautonomous region’s college campuses. Beijing took control of the colony on July 1 1997.
In a speech during a visit to the city, Lord Patten said he hopes Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, who took office earlier this year, will advise Mr Xi to refrain from a hard-line approach over those calling for democracy.