ANGUILLA
One death was reported in the British territory of Anguilla, which also suffered extensive damage to the airport, hospitals, and shelters. Ninety per cent of the roads are impassible, according to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. The United Kingdom said that Irma inflicted “severe and, in places, critical” damage to the territory.
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
A two-year-old child was killed in Barbuda as a family tried to escape a damaged home. About 60 per cent of the roughly 1,400 people on the small, flat island were left homeless by the storm that damaged nearly every building. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said that the recovery would take months, if not years. Islanders were closely watching Hurricane JosÈ, which was threatening to strike the northeast Caribbean by the weekend.
BAHAMAS
The country was evacuating six islands in the southern Bahamas ahead of the storm. Islanders were being flown to the capital, Nassau, in what Prime Minister Hubert Minnis called the largest storm evacuation in the country’s history. He said authorities would not be able to help those caught in the “potentially catastrophic” wind, flooding, and storm surge expected overnight Thursday.
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
Major damage to houses and commercial buildings was reported by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson, who rode out the storm at his home on private Necker island, said entire houses disappeared and the area is “completely and utterly devastated”.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Waves smashed a dozen homes into rubble in the fishing community of Nagua, but the buildings were believed to be unoccupied at the time. Several thousand locals and tourists were evacuated from coastal areas ahead of the storm. Authorities reported some flooding.
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