See Stunning Before and After Photos of Hurricane Irma ’s Impact on the Caribbean

Hurricane Irma tore into the Caribbean Islands and Florida with full force, killing at least 55 people and damaging thousands of properties. People and businesses, were reeling from the catastrophe. Many still are. While the damage has been brutal, its full extent still has yet to be determined. These before and after photos, taken in 2014 and 2017 respectively, show the physical impact of a storm that left so many struggling in its wake. Codrington, Antigua and Barbuda Irma made its first landfall as a category 5 in Barbuda on September 6, destroying 95 percent of structures on the Caribbean island — which is only 68 square miles — including its only hospital and airport. The island’s 1,800 now-homeless residents were evacuated to neighboring Antigua. (The two islands comprise their own nation state). “It is just a total devastation” Gaston Brown, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said in the immediate aftermath. “Barbuda right now is literally a rubble.” Brown’s government is now faced with the daunting task of rebuilding, which is expected to cost more than $100 million. Parham Town, Tortola One of the most populous British Virgin Islands, Tortola not only fell victim to Irma’s winds and waves, but to looting that occurred in its aftermath. The sense of loss and tragedy is pervasive for the island’s residents. “It’s like we’ve been bombed,” Sarah Penney, who lives in Tortola,...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized hurricane irma hurricane irma barbuda hurricane irma damage hurricane irma destruction hurricane irma photos hurricane irma saint marten Source Type: news