Islands braced for more destruction in the wake of Hurricane Irma
RELIEF efforts are under way on islands devastated by Hurricane Irma, with one British territory being “pummelled” overnight and another declaring a state of emergency.
Some already-ravaged areas are preparing for further possible damage as a second hurricane travels through the Atlantic.
Medical supplies and other aid is being flown from the UK to the worst affected areas following a £32 million pledge from the British Government.
The government of the Turks and Caicos Islands declared a national shutdown as the hurricane continued its destructive path across the Caribbean.
Irma, since downgraded to category four but still described as “extremely dangerous”, has killed at least 14 people.
Life-threatening wind, rain and a storm surge are expected in the Turks and Caicos Islands into Saturday as the hurricane moves through the Bahamas towards southern Florida.
Forecasters said Hurricane Jose, currently category three, is not expected to make direct landfall, but already-hit areas including the Commonwealth island of Barbuda and British territory of Anguilla are on hurricane watch.
Tropical storm warnings are also in place for both, as well as Antigua, the Met Office said.
The British Virgin Islands, which saw houses reduced to their foundations and many roads impassable in the wake of Irma, has declared a state of emergency.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said aircraft carrying around 230 personnel, made up of engineers, marines and medical specialists, will take rations and medical supplies to places affected, including Barbados and the British Virgin Islands.
Officials said it has been difficult to gauge the extent of the damage due to communication lines coming down, but the Department for International Development (Dfid), which is co-ordinating aid, has sent advisers to Antigua, Barbados and Jamaica to assess the wreckage.
A spokeswoman for the department said people are being evacuated from Barbuda to Antigua in advance of Hurricane Jose hitting.
However, there has been criticism of the Government’s response to Irma, the most powerful hurricane ever to hit the Atlantic, with some saying more should have been done to prepare for the devastation.
Labour MP Virendra Sharma, who sits on the International Development Committee, said there had been a “lack of vision and lack of proper response”,
despite indications the hurricane was coming.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokeswoman dismissed criticism that the UK lagged behind France and the Netherlands in taking care of its territories.
The spokeswoman said: “We believe our response was swift. We had a ship pre-positioned. We are getting life-saving aid now to those who need it.”
The spokeswoman, who said the Government was waiting for “a full picture of intelligence to come through”, added: “Three
flights departed this morning carrying marines and engineers as part of the MoD task force.”
Mrs May chaired a meeting of the Government’s Cobra emergencies committee at Downing Street yesterday afternoon to discuss the UK’s response to Hurricane Irma.
She went to the meeting after cutting short a visit to Lord’s cricket ground, where the Test match between England and the West Indies was suspended because of rain.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen would be making a significant personal donation to the Hurricane Irma appeal organised by the British Red Cross.
RFA Mounts Bay has helped to restore power and communications, as well as clear the airport runway in the British territory of Anguilla, and will next provide relief in the British Virgin Islands, Dfid said.
Other aid being sent includes 10,000 buckets and 5,000 solar lanterns.
Meanwhile, two British women thought to be missing on Barbuda following the hurricane have been spotted helping with the relief efforts, a relative told Good Morning Britain.
Afiya Frank, 27, who is six months pregnant, and her sister, Asha Frank, 29, had not been heard from since Tuesday but have now been seen on the island, a cousin said.
The governor of the British Virgin Islands, Gus Jaspert, said they were doing all they could “with the limited resources we have available”.
In an audio recording, he said: “I come to you with a heavy heart after experiencing and observing the extent of devastation caused by
Hurricane Irma.
“After consultation with the premier, I have declared a state of emergency for the territory.”
Irma was first classified as a tropical storm on August 30 and rapidly intensified over the following days. Winds reached a peak of 130mph but soon became the strongest for more than a decade when sustained winds peaked at 185mph.
Thousands of British tourists believed to be in the Caribbean have been warned to follow evacuation orders while some have been advised to stay in their hotel rooms.
After consultation with the premier, I have declared a state of emergency for the territory