British Army deploys WARSHIPS to the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma kills 12, obliterates entire islands and leaves over one million without power
BRITAIN is sending two warships and is assigning £12 million in aid to help distraught victims of Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean.
Deadly Irma - one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record - has turned the tropical islands of Barbuda and St Martin into mountains of rubble.
The British fleet auxiliary boat Mounts Bay carrying 40 Royal Marines was already in the region and was expected to reach affected territories on Thursday.
It will be joined by the HMS Ocean, which is departing from the Mediterranean carrying a number of helicopters, a defence ministry source said.
Medical advisers, reconstruction staff and Royal Marines will also make the trip, the source added.
At least 12 people have been killed and dozens injured after the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storm ever recorded pummelled a string of Caribbean islands on a devastating path towards America.
Hundreds of thousands of Miami residents and tourists have been urged to flee now as “nuclear” Irma barrels towards the US.
The mayor of Miami Beach ordered people to urgently “get out” of the area as the killer storm heads straight for Florida after battering the Caribbean with 185mph winds.
Mayor Philip Levine stressed that anyone left in the Miami beach area after last night's mandatory evacuation “must leave”.
“This storm will envelope us whether it is off shore or on shore. It won't make a difference,” Mayor Levine told CBS4.
He added: “I'll do anything in my power to convince [people] this is a very serious storm. This is a nuclear hurricane. They should leave the beach, they must leave the beach.”
The head of the US emergency agency said Hurricane Irma will have a "truly devastating" impact when it slams into southern coastal areas of the US.
"The majority of people along the coast have never experienced a major hurricane like this. It will be truly devastating," Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chief Brock Long told CNN.
For more on this story...
Listen to Julia Hartley-Brewer from 10am
Call on 0344 499 1000
Listen on DAB, via the talkRADIO app or online at
Florida Governor Rick Scott ordered the emergency evacuation of Miami's coastal zones as the monster storm approaches the US mainland.
Donald Trump today tweeted: "Hurricane Irma is raging but we have great teams of talented and brave people already in place and ready to help. Be careful, be safe! #FEMA"
The category five hurricane has battered Barbuda, Anguilla, St Martin, Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands.
It is feared that the death toll will rise as the unprecedented hurricane continues towards the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and the US.
The monster storm is expected to slam Florida this weekend and forecasters now fear Imra may hit the Carolinas and coastal Georgia.
Fears are growing for a pregnant British mum and her beauty queen sister who are missing after the record-breaking hurricane savaged Barbuda.
The holiday paradise was reduced to rubble when the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storm ever recorded smashed through the region on a devastating path to the US.
Afiya Frank, 27, and former beauty queen and Miss Antigua Asha Frank, 29, from Suffolk, have not been heard from since around 10.30pm last night.
Their auntie Ruth Bolton told : "They had boarded up the house that my sister had just finished building with wood and stocked up on water etc.
"They are always well prepared for storms in Barbuda. It's a brick house and hopefully stood some of the storm.
"We had contact till about 10.30 pm our time last night via What's App and then that was it. Nothing since and no way to find out how they are.
"I just want to hug my nieces and speak to them."
Aifya, who is seven months pregnant, was due to fly back to the UK next week to to give birth. Asha was on the island helping with emergency work, the paper reported.
At least ten people are understood to have been killed in the monster storm and thousands of others have been made homeless.
The storm reportedly claimed the lives of a two-year-old child in Barbuda, one person in Anguilla, and eight in the French part of St Martin.
A 16-year old surfer from Barbados also died after breaking his neck while surfing in the swell generated by Hurricane Irma.
Zander Venezia reportedly fell off his board and hit a shallow reef at a beach called Box by Box in Barbados on Tuesday.
Theresa May has called an emergency ‘Cobra’ meeting over Hurricane Irma today as the worried officials mounted a huge relief effort for Brits caught up in the storm carnage.
Downing Street said the PM had already spoken to Emmanuel Macron about the chaos and would coordinate relief efforts with the French and the Dutch – as officials admitted they were braced for casualties.
A Royal Navy ship, RFA Mount Bay, is already in the Caribbean and should reach the British Oversees Territories affected by the storm later today, the government says.
Royal Marines and army engineers will be on board to help with deal with the aftermath of the hurricane, said Foreign Minister Alan Duncan.
Antigua and Barbuda
Barbuda, part of the twin island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, is a scene of "total carnage" with 95 per cent of properties damaged, according to Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
He said about half of Barbuda's population of some 1,800 were homeless as the island is "literally rubble.".
In an interview on BBC Radio Four, he said: "We flew into Barbuda only to see total carnage. It was easily one of the most emotionally painful experiences that I have had."
"Approximately 50 percent of them (residents of Barbuda) are literally homeless at this time.
"They are bunking together, we are trying to get ... relief supplies to them first thing tomorrow morning," he said, adding that it would take months or years to restore some level of normalcy to the island."
He has blamed the carnage on global warming and criticised world leaders who deny climate change.
One person is known to have died on the island of 1,600 residents, apparently a child whose family was trying to get to safer ground.
He added: “The science is clear. Climate change is real in the Caribbean we are living with the consequences of climate change. It is unfortunate that there are some who see it differently.”
The news comes as two terrifying storms have formed in the Atlantic after Hurricane Irma smashed through the Caribbean killing at least four.
Barbuda was without communications for hours after a direct hit with the monster Category Five storm - which is estimated to be the size of France.
MOST READ IN NEWS
St Martin and St Barts
Aerial images released by the Dutch Defense Ministry show scenes of utter devastation on the island of St. Martin in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Footage shows seafront hotels a mainstay of the Caribbean island's economy with their roofs badly damaged, palm trees stripped of fronds and poolside terraces covered in sand.
The island's airport also was hit hard, with what appeared to be sand washed up to parts of the main terminal and the building's roof extensively damaged. No planes were visible on the tarmac.
The airport is famous around the world because its runway ends very close to a beach, where tourists can stand and watch landing aircraft skim low overhead.
Streets were largely deserted and littered with debris. At a port area, shipping containers were strewn like children's building blocks.
Elsewhere, yachts were shown jumbled together in a small harbour, some overturned or dumped, upside down, onto the shore.
The French interior ministry has said four government buildings on St Martin have been destroyed and the island has "lost contact with Paris".
HURRICANE HELL: Theresa May calls emergency Cobra meeting over Hurricane Irma
Theresa May has called an emergency ‘Cobra’ meeting over Hurricane Irma today as the worried officials mounted a huge relief effort for Brits caught up in the storm carnage.
Downing Street said the PM had already spoken to Emmanuel Macron about the chaos and would coordinate relief efforts with the French and the Dutch – as officials admitted they were braced for casualties.
A Royal Navy ship, RFA Mount Bay, is already in the Caribbean and should reach the British Oversees Territories affected by the storm later today, the government says.
Royal Marines and army engineers will be on board to help with deal with the aftermath of the hurricane, said Foreign Minister Alan Duncan.
Yesterday, Londoner Alex Woolfall posted a series of panicked tweets from the island of St Martin, describing how he has been forced to hide in concrete stairwell of building.
He tweeted: “Evacuated & everyone now hiding in concrete stairwell of building. Noise of wind insane. Pray this will end soon!
“In St Martin & building shaking and howling winds. Scary stuff but still have power. #Irma2017.
“Okay I am now pretty terrified so can every non-believer, atheist & heretic please pray for me in #StMaarten as #Irma2017 is here now.
“May be my last tweet as power out and noise now apocalyptic. This is like a movie I never want to see. #Irma2017 #StMaarten.”
He described the noise as being like a “jet engine” with constant “booms and bangs”.
“Still thunderous sonic boom noises outside & boiling in stairwell. Can feel scream of things being hurled against building. #HurricaineIrma,” he added.
Puerto Rico
Hurricane Irma has blacked out much of Puerto Rico as the dangerous storm raked the US territory with heavy wind and rain while staying just out to sea.
At least half of the country's homes and businesses were have been reportedly left without power,
HURRICANE HELL 12 deadliest hurricanes to ever batter America including Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy
The powerful storm is expected to veer north towards south Florida.
Currently east of Imra is Hurricane Jose, which has strengthening winds of 75mph and could change course to threaten the US mainland, according to meteorologists.
To the west of the monster storm is Hurricane Katina which is said to be almost stationary in the Gulf of Mexico.
US President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the sunshine state where he said the outlook was "not good."
Donald Trump's £21.5million mansion is also believed to be in the direct path of the hurricane.
Ahead of a meeting with Congressional leaders yesterday, Trump said he feared the storm looks like "something that could be not good".
Trump said: "We'll see what happens."
"It looks like it could be something that could be not good, believe me not good," he added.
The US President also tweeted, saying: "Hurricane looks like largest ever recorded in the Atlantic!"
He added: "Watching Hurricane closely. My team, which has done, and is doing, such a good job in Texas, is already in Florida. No rest for the weary!"
Hundreds of Brits have been scrambling to get last-minute flights after cutting their trips short.
Brit Laura Carr told SunOnline she feels “trapped” in the Dominican Republic because British Airways has not organised any emergency flights.
The newlywed, from Essex, was enjoying her honeymoon when she was warned about the approaching monster storm.
She tried to organise a flight back to the UK, but was told there would be no planes leaving yesterday.
“We are very scared. We feel trapped,” she told SunOnline.
“The winds are getting stronger and the hotel is like a ghost town. All the sun loungers have been cleared and most of the hotel has shut down.
“We have now just been told we are being evacuated from our hotel. We have no idea where we are going other than to a hotel on the south of the island.”
Victoria Adams, 23, from London, is trying to leave the Turks and Caicos Islands amid the intensifying storm.
“I am so, so scared right now,” senior public affairs account executive Ms Adams told the Standard. “I can’t even get on a flight anymore, they’re all fully booked.
“My only option now is to go to the airport when it opens and pray a seat on any flight opens up.
“I don’t know what to do if I have to stay – beyond stay on high ground and barricade the windows.”
A British Airways spokesman said: "We laid on a special flight from Antigua on Tuesday to get as many customers home as possible before the hurricane arrived on the island, and have managed to rebook many others across the Caribbean islands onto flights out of the area with alternative carriers.
"We are closely monitoring developments in the region and are in regular contact with holidaymakers there to ensure they are safe and being well looked after by their hotel management."
Alison Strand, originally from Staffordshire, has spent several hours putting defences on her home on the island of Anguilla.
"Our house is 5m (15ft) above sea level and we're expecting 8m swells, so we're just crossing our fingers," she said. "We are expecting to lose our wooden roof."
Brit Carolyne Coleby, who runs a guest house on the island of Montserrat, said locals are trying to secure their houses.
She said: "The winds are starting to pick up and the clouds are coming in.
"It's going to be the strongest hurricane ever to cross the Atlantic. I've no idea what to expect."
Brit holidaymakers have been urged to follow any evacuation orders and expats have barricaded their homes as the monster storm continued on a devastating path towards the US.
There have been no confirmed reports of serious injuries or casualties so far.
The eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Barbuda in the early hours of this morning, the National Weather Service said.
Residents said over local radio that phone lines went down as the hurricane raged across the island with winds of 185 mph and gusts of 218 mph.
Most read in news
Heavy rain and howling winds slammed the neighbouring island of Antigua, sending debris flying as people huddled in their homes or government shelters.
"We are hunkered down and it is very windy ... the wind is a major threat," said Garfield Burford, the director of news at ABS TV and Radio on the island of Antigua, south of Barbuda.
"So far, some roofs have been blown off."
Officials warned people to seek protection from Irma's "onslaught" in a statement that closed with: "May God protect us all."
St Barthelemy has also been bulldozed by the hurricane, with the entire island being plunged into a total electricity blackout.
Residents have described how the roofs of their homes have been blown off. The fire station has also been flooded.
Electricity is also partially down on the island of Guadeloupe, where the threat receded despite danger of heavy flooding.
French minister for overseas territories Annick Girardin expressed fear "for a certain number of our compatriots who unfortunately didn't want to listen to the protection measures and go to more secure sites."
She added: "We're preparing for the worst."
The category five hurricane is churning along a path pointing to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly heading for Florida over the weekend.
It may soon be followed by Hurricane Jose which has formed in its wake.
Streets and supermarket shelves have been left deserted and residents have packed sandbags and barricaded their homes as preparations are made for the storm to strike.
Red alerts have now been issued for Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Leeward, St Martin, St Barthelemy, Saba, St Eustatius, Puerto Rico and both the Virgin Islands.
Brit billionaire Sir Richard Branson has decided to ride out the storm at his private Necker Island - even through the eye of the storm is heading straight for it.
His staff shared footage of the preparations for the monster storm which is expected to lash the British Virgin Islands yesterday.
Brit holidaymakers in the Turks and Caicos Islands have spoken of their fears after getting "stranded" because airlines have refused to change their flights.
Theresa Sanderson tweeted: "We are a family stuck here in Turks and Caicos BA have left us to try live through the worst storm ever recorded".
Mass evacuations in Florida are expected to start yesterday after a state of emergency was declared.
Brit holidaymakers fear the raging storm may force Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando to close.
Guests have also been left disappointed after three cruises on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream ships were cancelled.
If Irma makes a landfall in Florida it will be the second powerful storm to hit the US mainland in two weeks after Hurricane Harvey caused widespread devastation.
People who live on the islands will be flown Wednesday to Nassau on the island of New Providence. Minnis says it will be the largest hurricane evacuation in the history of the Bahamas.
The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has warned gusts are hitting 190mph over the Atlantic.
British Airways flew an empty plane from London to Antigua to bring back stranded tourists and cancelled two flights.
The full flight of 326 passengers touched down in the UK on Tuesday evening.
More than 100 Virgin Atlantic passengers left five hours earlier from Antigua and made a unplanned stop in St Lucia to join an earlier service back to Gatwick.
Thomas Cook said the storm was ‘very unpredictable’ and that it was monitoring it closely.
Briton Carolyne Coleby, who runs a guest house on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, said locals were desperately trying to secure their houses with boards and remove any potential debris from outside spaces.
She said: "The winds are starting to pick up and the clouds are coming in.
"We had a sunny morning but the storm's definitely on its way - it's going to be spectacularly unpleasant.
"People are now just boarding up and clearing their gardens of any potential flying objects.
"I had a sleepless night. I was very worried - I spent the night on the internet.
"It's going to be the strongest hurricane ever to cross the Atlantic. I've no idea what to expect."
The warnings come as residents in Texas and Louisiana are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Harvey, which struck as a category four storm, causing heavy rain and destroying thousands of homes.
Irma is predicted to cause rainfall of up to 25cm (10in) and raise water levels by up to 3m (9ft) above normal levels.
The NHC predicts "near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves."
More than 29 million tourists visit the Caribbean every year - including 1.1m Brits and 14m Americans.
A UK Foreign Office spokesman said: "Hurricane Irma is forecast to bring hazardous sea and weather conditions to north eastern parts of the Caribbean from around September 6; you should follow the advice of the local authorities and any evacuation orders."
Do you know anyone or have you and your family been affected by Hurricane Irma? Email [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368