The British Virgin Islands have been “spared the worst” from Hurricane Maria, the governor has said, as the storm continues her path of destruction towards another UK overseas territory.
Claiming the lives of at least nine people so far, Maria has barrelled across the Caribbean and unleashed devastation on islands in its path.
Ravaging both Dominica and Puerto Rico, a hurricane warning is currently in place for the Turks and Caicos islands, with winds of 110mph and up to 16 inches of rain expected.
(PA Graphics)
The US National Hurricane Centre warned that although the storm was no longer a category five, “some strengthening” could take place and “Maria could regain major hurricane status”.
Gus Jaspert, governor of the British Virgin Islands, which was wrecked by Hurricane Irma two weeks ago, said initial assessments suggested fresh damage is relatively low.
“We had high winds, we had a bit of flooding, and we had bit of a storm surge that knocked out some of the roads – but that thankfully we have been spared the worst”, he said.
“We are very mindful that others and colleagues in the region felt its full force and our thoughts are very much with them at the moment.”
Mr Jaspert said one of his first priorities on Thursday is to head to the other British Virgin Islands on a helicopter from RFA Mounts Bay to fully assess the damage there.
Whilst we are thankful #BVI was spared the worst from #HurricaneMaria, our thoughts & prayers are with all in #Dominica, #USVI & #PuertoRico
— Gus Jaspert (@GusJaspert) September 20, 2017
“We prepared for the worst, it hasn’t been the worst which is good. We are back on to our recovery focus, which is our key thing,” he said.
He revealed that there were no deaths, but that someone who was seriously injured during the latest hurricane is due to be medevaced off Virgin Gorda on Thursday.
British Commandos & Canadian sailors are preparing homes & buildings on South Caicos ahead of Hurricane Maria #UKaid https://t.co/yQkWbECju0 pic.twitter.com/16PMM6PK5T
— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) September 20, 2017
Meanwhile, Maria was the strongest storm to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years, destroying homes and plunging the entire island into darkness after taking down power lines.
Widespread flooding was also reported, with some streets turned into raging rivers by the deluge of rain water.
Puerto Rico’s emergency management director Abner Gomez said the weather system had “destroyed everything in its path”.
The island of Dominica, where Maria made landfall on Monday, lost nearly all of its communications as the storm knocked out phone lines and the island’s broadcast service. According to reports, 70% of properties lost their roofs.
We've updated our travel advice for Hurricane Maria. Check the latest travel advice on GOV.UK: https://t.co/FKvh8hPZJY pic.twitter.com/quGKFVOgop
— FCO travel advice (@FCOtravel) September 20, 2017
Mr Jaspert said he had sent messages of support to his colleagues in both Puerto Rico and Dominica, who he said had been “fantastic in the past at helping us out”.
Describing the storm as it passed, the father-of-two said it was “long and drawn out”, with a “bit of an impact in the middle of the night, very strong winds, lots of debris was flying around”.
With some flooding affecting the island of Tortola, he added: “The key priority really is bouncing back into our recovery mode.”
Mr Jaspert said the arrival of HMS Ocean on Friday, which is carrying 60 tonnes of UK aid, will “turbo charge” their repair work and recovery efforts.
With roads, schools, the airport, the police headquarters, homes and many other buildings damaged as a result of Irma, he said there was a lot of work to be carried out.
#Maria still producing life-threatening flooding and winds over Puerto Rico. See https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb and @NWSSanJuan for the latest pic.twitter.com/2mzcCXFxGA
— NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) September 20, 2017
“We have got huge ambitions and we want to genuinely get this place back, quickly. Not just to where it was, but to a place that is even better than before,” Mr Jaspert said.
“The long term is this is going to be a really fantastic functioning market economy – it needs some short term aid and support and we are getting that in now.
“But actually we want to bounce back and become an example of how you rebuild after a disaster.
“It is almost strong words at the moment because there is so much devastation here, but I am excited about the long term prospects.”
Sir Richard Branson, whose private Necker Island was struck by Hurricane Irma, said Maria brought “lots of howling rain”. Posting on Instagram, he said: “Word from the bunker is that all are safe on Necker. Lots of howling rain (2+ feet) but all ok.
“The night of a thousand buckets… yet to hear the latest on the rest of the BVI, thoughts are with our friends in Puerto Rico and all in Hurricane Maria’s path.”
In an accompanying video, the billionaire businessman said: “All of us just need to rally together to campaign on getting on top of climate change on a global basis so that events like this do not become recurring incidents.”
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