Residents of the Hurricane Irma-ravaged island of Barbuda are being urged to evacuate ahead of the pending passage of Hurricane Jose – a Category 1 storm churning 800 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.
“If this other storm, Jose is going to be a threat to Barbuda, we have to evacuate them,” Prime Minister Gaston Browne said after returning from a brief visit to the sister island late Wednesday.
Irma, a deadly Category 5 storm that took the life of a toddler in Barbuda, moved on to wreak havoc on islands of the northern Caribbean.
Barbuda declared a disaster zone
Following a late-night Cabinet meeting, Browne announced that the government was declaring Barbuda a disaster zone and implementing a state of emergency.
The Codrington air strip was damaged during the storm thereby preventing planes from landing. Boats are also challenged to find suitable mooring due to damage at the dock.
Browne estimates that 60 percent of the island’s population has been made homeless as a result of the hurricane, sparking fear that residents do not have adequate shelter and supplies to sustain another storm.
Irma practically decimated houses and other infrastructure on the 62 square mile island, home to 1600 people.
Storm traveled directly over Barbuda
Telecommunications equipment, roads and public utilities were all crippled by the storm that traveled directly over Barbuda.
Meanwhile, electricity was restored to St John’s and other communities throughout Antigua late Wednesday.
The restoration of power paved the way for some sense of normalcy in the capital and early Thursday, banks, shops and other businesses began operating with limited hours.
On the forecast track, the eye of Irma continued to move just north of the coast of Hispaniola on Thursday. It was projected to be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by later in the day and near the Central Bahamas by Friday.
Maximum sustained winds remained near 180 mph (285 km/h) with higher gusts.
