Hurricane Irma Reaches Puerto Rico: ‘This Is Phenomenal’
Early on Wednesday, Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda said his nation had been spared the worst of the hurricane, declaring in a statement, “The essential point is
that our main infrastructure has stood up and our country can resume normal life within hours.” He went so far as to add, “I dare to say that no other country in the Caribbean would have been as well prepared as we were.”
This turned out to be inaccurate: While the damage in Antigua was not as severe as expected, Mr. Browne announced in the afternoon
that 90 percent of all structures on its sister island, Barbuda, had been destroyed.
“Still plenty rain and strong winds.”
— KIRK SEMPLE and CARL JOSEPH
President Emmanuel Macron of France said on Wednesday evening
that it was too early to say how badly the islands of St. Martin and St. Barthélemy had been damaged or how many casualties there were.
As the storm moved farther west, the French authorities downgraded the hurricane alert for St. Martin and St. Barthélemy, indicating
that taking shelter was no longer mandatory but warning that moving around the islands was still ill-advised.
“As the history with Harvey states,” he said, referring to the hurricane
that battered Houston, “flooding can become the major cause of death in events of this nature.”
With the storm expected to pass just north of San Juan between 6 p.m.
and 8 p.m., the governor had cautioned people to take shelter by noon in homes or in one of 156 government-run facilities.
