Caribbean - Hurricanes Fact Sheet #6, Fiscal Year (FY) 2017
- Countries
- Antigua and Barbuda
- + 5 more
- Sources
- USAID
- Publication date
- Origin
- View original
HIGHLIGHTS
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USAID DART staff arrive on the island of St. Martin, continue to coordinate USG hurricane response efforts in Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas
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Extensive damages prevent resumption of public services on the island of Barbuda
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CDEMA, humanitarian agencies deploy staff to conduct damage and needs assessments in acutely affected Caribbean islands
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
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On September 12, nine USAID regional Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) staff arrived on the island of St. Martin—comprising Saint-Martin, a French overseas collectivity, and Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands—to assess hurricane-related damages and coordinate U.S. Government (USG) response efforts. Initial DART reports confirmed extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure on the island. Approximately 91 percent of buildings in Sint Maarten sustained damage due to the effects of Hurricane Irma, according to a September 12 assessment by the Netherlands and Sint Maarten Red Cross Societies.
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Basic public services, including electricity, telecommunications, and access to health care and safe drinking water, remain unavailable on the island of Barbuda, where Hurricane Irma destroyed at least 90 percent of building infrastructure, according to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda (GoAB) and the UN. Humanitarian organizations—including USAID/OFDA partner the Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross Society (ABRCS)—are providing humanitarian assistance to evacuated Barbudans sheltering on Antigua island.
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DART staff in Antigua, The Bahamas, and St. Martin continue to evaluate the priority needs of hurricane-affected households and meet with response stakeholders—including host country officials, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) representatives, and USAID/OFDA partners.