Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
APOCALYPSE
5 dead, thousands of homes destroyed ...we join rescuers on British islands torn to shreds by Hurricane Irma
AS night falls on the British Virgin Islands, thousands left homeless by deadly Hurricane Irma bed down for another night in the damp, dark and disarray.
Still being hit by deluge after deluge of rain, by 6.30pm they are forced to live by flickering candlelight as most are still without power.
The few who manage to sleep will be back in a living nightmare when they awake. In the sweltering daylight, they will again see the devastation Irma left during a 15-hour direct hit on this UK territory on September 7.
The islands are now a landscape of blackedout towns, shuttered petrol stations and flooded streets.
Every leaf was ripped from every tree as the 185mph winds barrelled through.
And as if the loss of five lives and the destruction of thousands of homes were not enough, dozens of prisoners remain on the loose, sprung from the jail amid the chaos of the storm and now 4ft-deep flash flooding.
In this apocalyptic landscape, islanders must rebuild their lives.
Expat Chloe Adams tells how she and her Australian boyfriend James Gibson huddled together in their bathroom during the hurricane.
The waitress, 23, who comes from Millbrook, Cornwall, says: “We feared for our lives. The roof of our building was blown clean off and all we could do was seek shelter in our bathroom.
“We didn’t know if we would live or die. It’s a miracle we survived.”
The devastation has left both Chloe and James without a job, forcing them to leave the island for good.
Another Briton, veterinary technician Lisa Charman, has not been back to her home since Irma and has been staying with a friend.
Lisa, 30, says: “I dread to imagine the damage to my home. It has been a living nightmare since Irma struck.”
Lisa, of Ramsgate, Kent, is caring for more than 600 animals as their owners try to rebuild their properties.
As well as expats, locals too spoke of struggle to survive Irma. Dad-of-