Hurricane Irma Leaves Barbuda Uninhabitable

Antigua’s sister island Barbuda sustained widespread devastation with 95 percent of the houses destroyed or damaged by Category 5 Hurricane Irma.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne revealed the devastating news on Wednesday following a tour in the aftermath.

Irma left sixty percent of the residents on the island homeless after some houses were totally demolished, while others lost roofs.

Browne says evacuation, for now, will be voluntary and will become mandatory if Hurricane Jose poses a threat to the islands. He added that it will cost over US$150 million to rebuild the island, a process that will take years.