Gov’t sending mission to ravaged St Maarten, BVI

A calamitous Barbuda scene after the passage of Hurricane Irma last week. (CARICOM photo)

A week after Hurricane Irma devastated several Caribbean islands with large Guyanese communities killing at least one man, the government here yesterday announced that it will send an assessment team tomorrow to two of the hardest-hit locations and it has now doubled its monetary contribution.

Following the Category Five destruction wrought by Irma on Barbuda, Anguilla, St Maarten and Tortola in particular, there have been numerous reports of Guyanese living in hazardous circumstances and in need of food, water and other basic supplies.

Many Guyanese here and abroad have been trying to contact relatives in these hard-hit islands but have not had much success. Trinidad has airlifted some of its nationals back home and so has Barbados.  The French and Dutch governments have mounted high level visits. On Wednesday, a CARICOM delegation led by its Chairman, Grenadian Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell and CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque visited the hammered territories. Barbuda has since been completely evacuated as around 90% of its houses have been declared uninhabitable.

A statement yesterday from the government said