Antigua/Barbuda Cabinet declare state of Emergency after devastation of Barbuda by Hurricane Irma

​Antigua & Barbuda’s Cabinet has declared a state of Emergency following the devastation of Barbuda by Hurricane Irma. The proclamation signed by Cabinet Secretary Konata Lee on Wednesday September 6, 2017 reads, “WHEREAS by subsection (1) of section 2 of the Emergency Powers (Hurricane, Earthquake, Fire or Flood) Act, Cap. 148 it shall be lawful for the Cabinet after the occurrence in Antigua and Barbuda of a hurricane, earthquake, fire or flood, to declare by proclamation in the Gazette that a state of emergency exists; AND WHEREAS on the 5th day of September 2017 a hurricane by the name of IRMA occurred in Antigua and Barbuda; NOW, THEREFORE, the Cabinet in pursuance of powers, conferred upon it by subsection (1) of section 2 of the Emergency Powers (Hurricane, Earthquake, Fire or Flood) Act, Cap. 148 hereby declares by this Proclamation that a state of emergency exists.”
 
After undertaking an aerial tour of the island, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Barbuda is barely habitable. “What I saw was heart wrenching, absolutely devastating. In fact, I believe that on a per capital basis, the extent of the destruction in Barbuda is unprecedented, based on the type of storm,” he noted.
 
Browne said Hurricane Irma would easily have been the most powerful hurricane to have stormed the Caribbean, and so it is extremely unfortunate that Barbuda was right in its path. He revealed that from his observation he would estimate that about 95% of the properties would have suffered some level of damage. “They would have lost at least a part of their roofs, some have lost whole roofs, some properties have been totally demolished, it is absolutely heart wrenching,” he said.
 
Prime Minister Browne added that with the potential threat of Hurricane Jose, residents of Barbuda would have to be evacuated. “In fact, I am of the view, that as it stands now, Barbuda is barely habitable, and if we have yet another storm coming in a matter of days, we will have to make special arrangements to evacuate all Barbudans and bring them over here until we can restore some level of normalcy”. Browne added that a significant amount of resources is being sent to Barbuda to provide temporary relief in the meantime.