Hurricane Irma – September 6th 2017

Irma, which was classified as a Category 5 hurricane, was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, with wind speeds of more than 185 miles per hour. Irma struck Barbuda in the early morning hours of 6 September 2017 and the village was devastated, 99% of homes received some damage and many were destroyed.

News agencies around the world had been watching the storm because of it’s ferocity, but when Prime Minister Gaston Browne was asked how Barbuda had fared on British tv (C4) he said ‘everything is ok on Antigua and Barbuda,’ because Antigua was not hit at all. He then visited Barbuda by helicopter and changed his international story to say Barbuda is ‘uninhabitable’, issued mandatory evacuations of all Barbudans, welcomed the aid being sent to Antigua on our behalf, held an election there and continued to bulldoze the new airport runway on Barbuda, before allowing any vBarbudans to return home.

This website became redundant as nearly everything listed here had disappeared in the storm, so this is just a reminder for those who are looking it up now. It was a time that no Barbudan will ever forget.