Thursday 7 September 2017

Aftermath of Irma

One of the benefits of our membership of EU was revealed by a London representative of Antigua and Barbuda in a TV interview a day before the eye of hurricane Irma passed over the UK overseas dependency. The nearby territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique are legally part of France, so Antiguans and Barbudans who need more than basic medical attention are able to call on the sophisticated medical facilities there. With 90% destruction of buildings having been reported, and those still standing being practically only public buildings, it is virtually certain that those facilities will be called on. Already, it is reported that a toddler has been killed. If hurricane Jose, currently only category 1, develops in the same way as Irma, the Antiguan prime minister predicts that Barbuda will have to be evacuated.

On a more frivolous note, one wonders whether the registry of the British Virgin Isles, home of so many tax- and scrutiny-dodging companies, has survived the wind, rain and storm surges of Irma.