HURRICANE CRISIS
T
he US National Hurricane Centre declared Irma to be the most violent storm to hit the Atlantic Ocean within the last 82 years. At its height, wind speeds reached 300 km/h. However, on the Caribbean island of Barbuda, winds raged at 406 km/h, according to prof. Ivan Todorov, honorary consul of Antigua and Barbuda in Bulgaria. The violent storm completely destroyed that little territory. 95% of its buildings, including some sturdy ancient fortresses and churches, were reduced to rubble. “It’s absolute devastation. The island is literally under water,” Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne told the BBC. “30% of the buildings were completely obliterated. Given these were English style structures of massive proportions, it is all the more shocking,” added Todorov. “Browne compared the devastation wrought on the island by Irma to the effects of a bomb. The entire infrastructure had been destroyed, including all public institutions, hospitals and schools. Serious damage was also sustained to the main airport, the port and most of the transport infrastructure. Telecommunication systems were completely broken. The entire island was under water or partially flooded, presenting a risk of fast-spreading diseases. The situation was made worse by floods caused by Hurricane Maria, although its impact wasn’t nearly as devastating. Despite all the obstacles, the Barbuda government managed to organize itself quickly, pulling together all its available resources and evacuating 28 | OCT / NOV 2017
almost the entire population of Barbuda, moving it to the larger island of Antigua.” “It’s an absolute devastation. The island is barely habitable. The entire population of 1800 people are homeless. It would cost $150 million to rebuild Barbuda. If we juxtapose these damages to the total population and then compare it with the GDP per person in the USA, it would be the same as America sustaining damages of $4.5 trillion!” Browne told the BBC. Browne is the fourth Prime Minister of this Commonwealth nation. Before becoming leader of the Antigua Labour party he was a successful businessman. “In the aftermath of the catastrophe people were in despair, worn out and fearful that they would not receive immediate help. Unfortunately, the neighboring island of Antigua was also affected, albeit to a far smaller degree. Browne was hopeful that Antigua and Barbuda would receive proper aid from the international community. He arrived on the island right after the hurricane had passed, to offer personal reassurance and moral support to his compatriots,” professor Todorov added. Two days after the calamity the first of three Amerijet Cargo planes, flying from Miami with 60 tons of relief supplies, landed in Antigua. The items were financed with funds secured by the government of Antigua and Barbuda and the contributions of Mr. Martin Franklyn and Coleman