Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Friday 8 September 2017

Nations rush to help devastated islands Traffic nightmare as over 500K

Continued from Front ravaged by Irma. lation of 40,000 five days. people are told to leave Florida
Meanwhile, Irma, the most The aircraft were carrying By JAY REEVES
Three more deaths were re- potent Atlantic Ocean hur- 100 extra troops to deliver JENNIFER KAY
ported on the British island ricane ever recorded, ap- aid, repair infrastructure FREIDA FRISARO
of Anguilla, independent peared increasingly likely and restore order. Associated Press
Barbuda and the Dutch to rip into heavily popu- Britain was sending hun- MIAMI (AP) — The race to flee Hurricane Irma became
side of St. Martin. lated South Florida early dreds of troops and the a marathon nightmare for many as more than a half-
Irma also slammed the Sunday. People rushed to Royal Navy flagship HMS million people were ordered to leave South Florida on
French island of St. Barts, board up their homes, take Ocean to Anguilla, Mont- Thursday.
tearing off roofs and knock- their boats out of the water serrat and the British Virgin With the storm barreling toward the tip of Florida for
ing out electricity. and gas up their cars. With Islands. perhaps a catastrophic blow this weekend, normally
French Interior Minister Ge- gasoline running out and In Anguilla, officials report- quick trips turned into daylong journeys on crowded
rard Collomb said 100,000 tensions rising, the Florida ed extensive damage to highways amid a constant search for gasoline and
food rations were sent to Highway Patrol escorted the airport, hospitals, shel- lodging. Airline seats out of Florida were in short supply
as well.
Mari and Neal Michaud loaded their two children and
dog into their small sport-utility vehicle and left their
home near Cocoa Beach about 10 a.m., bound for
an impromptu vacation in Washington, D.C. Using a
phone app and calls to search for fuel along the way,
they finally arrived at a convenience store that had
gasoline nearly five hours later.
The 60-mile trip up Interstate 95 should have taken an
hour, said Mari Michaud.
“There was no gas and it’s gridlock. People are strand-
ed on the sides of the highway,” she said. “It’s 92 de-
grees out and little kids are out on the grass on the side
of the road. No one can help them.”
The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane
watch for the Keys and parts of South Florida, includ-
ing some of the Miami metropolitan area of 6 million
people. It was the first of perhaps many watches and
warnings along the Southeastern coast over the next
several days as forecasters warn the storm could hit
anywhere from Florida to North Carolina.
As people along the Atlantic coast anxiously watched
the behemoth, Irma battered the northern Caribbean,
This photo provided by the Dutch Defense Ministry shows storm damage in the aftermath of killing at least seven people and leaving thousands
Hurricane Irma, in St. Maarten. Irma cut a path of devastation across the northern Caribbean, homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting
leaving thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees. Significant damage trees. At least 31,000 people fled the Florida Keys, which
was reported on the island that is split between French and Dutch control. could begin seeing wind and rain from Irma as early as
(Gerben Van Es/Dutch Defense Ministry via AP)
Friday night, Gov. Rick Scott said. He noted the size of
St. Barts and St. Martin, the tanker trucks sent to replen- ters and schools and said the powerful Category 5 storm, and told residents not
equivalent of four days of ish gas stations. 90 percent of roads were to become complacent.
supplies. “It is wider than our entire impassable. “It is wider than our entire state and could cause ma-
“It’s a tragedy. We’ll need state and could cause ma- On Barbuda, nearly every jor and life-threatening impacts from coast to coast.
to rebuild both islands,” he jor and life-threatening im- building was damaged Regardless of which coast you live on, be prepared to
said. “Most of the schools pacts from coast to coast. when the hurricane’s core evacuate,” Scott said.
have been destroyed.” Regardless of which coast crossed almost directly over NASA secured Kennedy Space Center and SpaceX
Photos and video of St. you live on, be prepared the island early Wednes- launched an unmanned rocket for an experimental
Martin circulating on so- to evacuate,” Gov. Rick day. About 60 percent of flight. Kennedy closed its doors to all nonessential staff
cial media showed major Scott said. Brian McNoldy, its roughly 1,400 residents and a crew of about 120 people will ride out the storm
damage to the Philipsburg a hurricane researcher at were left homeless, Antigua on site.
airport and heavy flood- the University of Miami, said and Barbuda Prime Minister Most of the critical buildings at Kennedy are designed
ing in the coastal village of Irma could easily prove to Gaston Browne said. to withstand gusts of up to 135 mph (220 kph). Irma’s
Marigot. be the costliest storm in U.S. “It is just really a horrendous wind could exceed that if it reaches Cape Canaveral.
Dutch Prime Minister history. French President situation,” Browne said. With winds that peaked at 185 mph (300 kph), Irma was
Mark Rutte said the storm Emmanuel Macron’s office He said roads and telecom- the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the At-
“caused wide-scale de- said he would go to the is- munications systems were lantic.
struction of infrastructure, lands as soon as the weath- wrecked and recovery will Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal ordered evacuations for
houses and businesses.” er permits it. Saying he was take months, if not years. A all areas east of Interstate 95, including the city of Sa-
“There is no power, no “grief-stricken,” Macron 2-year-old child was killed vannah, and authorized about 5,000 National Guard
gasoline, no running water. called for concerted efforts as a family tried to escape members to help with response and recovery.
Houses are under water, to tackle global warming a damaged home during Noel Marsden said he, his girlfriend, her son and their
cars are floating through to prevent similar natural the storm, Browne said. dog left Pembroke Pines north of Miami with plans to
the streets, inhabitants are disasters. Two Dutch navy “There are no leaves. It is ride out Irma in Savannah, only to find the city was
sitting in the dark in ruined ships were in St. Martin crazy. One of the things we also shutting down because of Irma. Marsden isn’t sure
houses and are cut off from with vital supplies. And two loved about St. Thomas is where they’ll all end up.
the outside world,” he said. Dutch military aircraft were that it was so green. And “I’ve got a buddy in Atlanta and a buddy in Charlotte.
Far out in the Atlantic, Hurri- being sent the island of Cu- it’s gone,” Strickling said. “It We’ll wind up one of those two places because there
cane Jose grew into a Cat- racao and on to St. Martin will take years for this com- are not hotels, I can tell you that,” he said.
egory 2 storm, threatening to deliver food and water munity to get back on its The last time Georgia was struck by a hurricane of force
some of the same islands intended to last the popu- feet.” q Category 3 or higher happened in 1898.q