The French part of the Caribbean island St Martin is “95 per cent destroyed” and Barbuda is facing “total devastation” after Hurricane Irma tore through the region, two officials said late Wednesday.
“It’s an enormous catastrophe. Ninety-five percent of the island is destroyed. I’m in shock. It’s frightening,” said Daniel Gibbs, a former French lawmaker, speaking on Radio Caribbean International.
The island is in need of emergency assistance, he said. “I have sick people to evacuate, I have a population to evacuate because I don’t know where I can shelter them,” he said.
At least six people have been killed in the French part of St Martin, Guadeloupe prefect Eric Maire said.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that after the Category Five storm, “Barbuda now is literally rubble.”
Speaking on CNN, Browne said 95 per cent of properties in Barbuda were damaged, with up to 30 per cent demolished.
“It is absolutely heart-wrenching,” he said.
Airport damaged
One person is known to have died, Browne said, apparently a child whose mother was taking him or her to safety after the building they were in was damaged.
The airport was damaged and flights were unable to land. Badly-needed aid will have to be flown in by helicopter from Antigua, he added.
“We have estimated the rebuilding efforts to be no less than $100 million. That is conservative, because we’re talking about rebuilding everything, all of the institutions, the infrastructure, the telecommunications, the roads... Even the hotels on the island, those are totally demolished, as well. It is terrible.”
Located east of Puerto Rico, Barbuda has 1,600 residents and is the sister island of Antigua, which was spared the worst of the storm.
Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, cut a deadly swath through a string of small Caribbean islands on Wednesday.
The French minister for overseas affairs, Annick Girardin, was to fly to Guadeloupe late Wednesday with emergency teams and supplies to assess the situation, the ministry said.
“It’s too soon for casualty figures (but) I can already tell you the toll will be harsh and cruel,” French President Macron said.
