{"id":50154,"date":"2017-09-07T00:33:46","date_gmt":"2017-09-07T00:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=50154"},"modified":"2017-09-07T07:21:39","modified_gmt":"2017-09-07T07:21:39","slug":"hurricane-irma-wipes-tiny-caribbean-island-off-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=50154","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Irma wipes tiny Caribbean island off the map"},"content":{"rendered":"

The tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda is \u201cpractically uninhabitable\u201d after it was steamrolled by Hurricane Irma, officials there said as the superstorm\u2019s confirmed death toll climbed to three Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Barbuda and Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne reported that 90 percent of the structures on Barbuda were destroyed by the \u2018cane, which was packing sustained 185-mph winds when it made landfall at 1:47 a.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it stands, Barbuda is practically uninhabitable,\u201d Browne told Antigua\/Barbuda Broadcasting Services, adding that destruction on the island home to nearly 1,700 people was \u201cheart-wrenching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA significant number of the houses have been totally destroyed,\u201d his chief of staff Lionel Hurst said.<\/p>\n

One person has been confirmed dead there.<\/p>\n

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Browne released an optimistic statement early Wednesday from lesser-hit Antigua, which is home to about 80,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear that Antigua and Barbuda has stood up to a mighty test,\u201d he wrote in the statement posted to Facebook.<\/p>\n

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 But he revised his opinion after taking a helicopter ride to survey the damage to Barbuda, which is just 30 miles north of Antigua.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI never contemplated any possibility that you could have such a contrast,\u201d he said of the relative destruction.<\/p>\n

Browne said he would order both islands evacuated should Hurricane Jose, which is brewing out in the Atlantic, head their way.<\/p>\n

The massive weather system claimed two lives on the nearby islands of St. Barts and St. Martin too, though officials are expecting that toll to rise as rescue and recovery work begins.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the present moment, there are reports of two dead and two seriously injured,\u201d the French minister for overseas affairs, Annick Girardin said according to Agence France Presse. \u201cBut obviously, the situation can change very, very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Barts is a French territory, and St. Martin is split by France and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am shocked by the monster that covers us, the island is devastated, it is apocalyptic, a lot of damage, many roofs destroyed,\u201d St. Barts senator Michel Magras told the UK\u2019s Daily Express.<\/p>\n

The hurricane \u2014 which set a record as the Atlantic Ocean\u2019s strongest-ever for 185-mph sustained winds before entering the Caribbean sea \u2014 slammed into the tiny holiday enclave with such force that it destroyed the weather station there, according to The Independent.<\/p>\n

Adv<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n