Hurricane Irma - Sep 2017
Overview
As of 1 September, [NOAA]’s National Hurricane Centre (NHC), stated that Hurricane Irma’s centre was located near latitude 18.8 north, longitude 39.1 west at 5 PM Atlantic Standard Time (AST) (2100 [UTC]). Irma was moving toward the west at around 13 mph (20 km/h). A turn toward the west-south-west was expected by 2 September 2017. Irma is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, as maximum sustained winds are near 120 mph (195 km/h), with higher gusts; while fluctuations in strength (up or down) are possible over the next few days, Irma is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through the weekend. (IFRC, 1 Sep 2017)
Irma made landfall on northeast Caribbean islands during the early hours of 6 September, affecting Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, St Barthélemy, St. Martin, the Virgin Islands and other islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Thousands of people have been evacuated from at-risk areas. Irma is predicted to hit Puerto Rico in the night, before continuing to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas. There is continued risk of catastrophic damage from hurricane force winds, storm surge, and flooding in areas on Irma’s trajectory. Hurricane Irma is being slowly trailed by Hurricane Jose, which is moving very slowly in the Atlantic Ocean and is anticipated to affect the northern Leeward Islands. 49 million people directly in Irma’s projected path. (OCHA, 6 Sep 2017)
As of 13 September, OCHA reported that Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, St Martin/St Maarten, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos are the most affected islands and that critical needs in supplies and support were being addressed around the clock. In the Dominican Republic and Haiti, local authorities are managing response and restoration to normal activities in the affected areas with local resources. Cuba withstood damage to 13 of its 15 provinces, reporting 10 deaths and damage to agriculture, water supply, and telecommunications. Humanitarian partners continue to work and coordination with regional organizations and local governments throughout the affected countries as needs assessments continue to reveal the range and depth of the needs caused by Irma. (OCHA, 13 Sep 2017)
On 15 September, the Regional Response Plan for the Caribbean Region seeking US$15.1 million was launched. (OCHA, 15 Sep 2017)
On 19 September, the UN System in Cuba (UNS) presented a US$55.8 million Action Plan to address the urgent needs of 2.15 million people. (UN ORC in Cuba, 19 Sep 2017)
As of 2 October, the Office of UN Resident Coordinator in Cuba reported that there were 158,554 houses damaged, 980 health institutions affected, 95,000 hectares of agricultural land damaged and more than 500 kilometers of roads damaged. The most affected provinces were Camagüey, Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spíritus, and Villa Clara. Other territories, such as Guantánamo, Holguín, Las Tunas, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, and Havana, were also damaged by the hurricane. (UN ORC in Cuba, 2 Oct 2017)
As of 2 November, in the territories affected by Hurricane Irma, attention is being paid to the affected population with priority being placed on households with young children, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and the elderly, and those whose houses were completely destroyed. Along with the recovery of the housing, health and education sectors, and the production of food, actions are being taken to repair damaged hotel facilities at Santa María, Coco, and Guillermo keys, in the wake of the tourist high season that began on November 1st. (UN ORC in Cuba, 2 Nov 2017)
As of 30 November, WFP continues to provide assistance to the populations affected by Hurricane Irma in Central Cuba (Camagüey, Ciego de Ávila, Matanzas, Sancti Spíritus and Villa Clara provinces). To date, WFP assisted 637,000 people with rice and beans, thanks to the foods stocks already prepositioned in the country for a potential disaster response. The distribution of vegetable oil is underway. WFP also suppors national and local authorities with mobile storage units to strengthen food protection capacities. (WFP, 30 Nov 2017)
Three months after the destructive hurricane Irma, the traces left on the northern coast of Cuba are still being felt in the affected provinces, where the basic conditions and livelihood of millions of people were affected. (UN ORC in Cuba, 15 Dec 2017)
As of 12 December, only 10% of the population (about 200 residents) of Barbuda has returned, with the remainder of the affected population in emergency shelters or host communities in Antigua. The Government of Antigua & Barbuda have announced that the remaining emergency shelters will be closed in mid-December and that schooling on Barbuda will resume in January. These efforts are to encourage displace residents to return to Barbuda and begin the recovery process. (IFRC, 12 Dec 2017)
As of 17 January 2018, Barbuda, which was evacuated following the devastation left in the path of Hurricane Irma, remains largely uninhabited despite efforts of the Antigua and Barbuda Government to encourage the return of the 1,600 residents of the island. Fewer than 100 people, including an unconfirmed number of children, have resettled on the island resulting in Government opening more long-term shelter facilities in Antigua. (IFRC, 17 Jan 2018)
In Anguilla, by January 2018, 78 per cent of the population has restored access to water, all school- aged children are back in school but nearly 40 per cent of the population remains without electricity services. (UNICEF, 2 Mar 2018)
Appeals & Response Plans
OCHA: Regional response plan for the Caribbean: Urgent needs at one month (as of 20 October 2017)
OCHA: Cuba Plan de acción - Septiembre 2017
OCHA: Cuba Plan of Action - September 2017
Useful Links
Affected countries
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba (The Netherlands)
- British Virgin Islands
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Guadeloupe (France)
- Haiti
- Martinique (France)
- Montserrat
- Puerto Rico (The United States of America)
- Saint Barthélemy (France)
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin (France)
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sint Maarten (The Netherlands)
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- United States Virgin Islands
Most read reports
- United Nations Emergency Response Fund (CERF) Annual Report 2017
- After the Hurricane – an overview of the damage Irma and Maria left behind
- Crisis update: Restoring dignity and livelihoods after storms in the Caribbean
- In British Virgin Islands, hurricane whips up green energy transition
- Six Months after Two Category 5 Hurricanes Struck, the U.S. Virgin Islands Is Recovering
Lara Palmisano
Throughout 2017, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) supported relief operations in 36 countries to ensure delivery of urgent aid to millions of people in desperate need.
CERF’s 2017 Annual Report, launched today, provides a detailed account of how, during the year, CERF and its partners ensured strategic use of almost $420 million in donor contributions to deliver the highest priority aid, where and when it was need the most.
Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Nearly a year ago, catastrophic hurricanes devastated the Caribbean. After Hurricane Irma, almost the entire population of Barbuda, a small island in the eastern Caribbean, was driven to its twin island of Antigua. In Dominica, Hurricane Maria wiped out crops, equipment and infrastructure.
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), have signed an agreement which will add GBP30 million (mn) to the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF). The agreement was signed on the sidelines of CDB’s Board of Directors meeting on July 26, 2018.
by Sebastien Malo | @SebastienMalo | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Tuesday, 31 July 2018 12:00 GMT
Burdened by costly fuel imports and a power grid destroyed by Hurricane Irma, the island territory is aiming to produce more electricity from renewables
ROAD TOWN, July 31 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Nearly a year after Hurricane Irma knocked out power across the British Virgin Islands, electricity boss Leroy Abraham will be among the last residents to have their homes reconnected.
GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – Building back smarter and more resilient is at the core of Puerto Rico’s recovery from the devastation of hurricanes Irma and Maria, and finding creative solutions to achieve that goal was the focus of a recent transportation summit.
The British Virgin Islands sustained widespread damage as a result of hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The Adina Donovan Home for the Elderly and the Virgin Gorda Elderly Home—buildings that house the most vulnerable seniors and older persons in their communities—were badly damaged by the storms. With financial help from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the Pan American Health Organization undertook restoration works which have now been completed.
Release Number: 231
GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – Nearly $210 million has now been approved in Community Disaster Loans for 51 Puerto Rico municipalities. The loans allow local communities to continue providing essential services as they recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria.
In June and July, 31 additional municipalities were approved for loans.
The municipalities approved for $5 million each are: Barceloneta, Cataño, Cayey, Cidra, Dorado, Fajardo, Guaynabo, Isabela, Juana Díaz, San Germán, San Juan and Toa Alta.
In October 2017, Governor of the US Virgin Islands Kenneth Mapp called for the Hurricane Recovery and Resiliency Task Force to develop a comprehensive report on the 2017 hurricanes’ impact, as well as produce recommendations for effective recovery and resilience. Specifically, the report was to answer three questions for each of several sectors:
What happened during the hurricanes and why?
How will climate change affect the sector in the future?
What will the Territory do?
Mënschen hëllefen : agir au profit des plus vulnérables
18.07.2018
La Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise a dévoilé son rapport d’activité 2017. Au-delà du bilan de l’année passée, cette présentation a été l’occasion de revenir sur des événements marquants et de tracer des perspectives sur les actions en cours.
Codrington, Barbuda, 12 July 2018 - The US$2million Chinese-aid funded Post-Disaster Roof Restoration project to repair 250 house roofs toward recovery of Hurricane-Ima devastated Barbuda has allowed hundreds of people to return home to the island, after the entire island was evacuated for the first time due to powerful hurricanes in September 2017.
HIGHLIGHTS
Recovery operations continue in Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and other hurricane-affected countries in the Caribbean, after the September 2017 passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria
USAID/OFDA partner Samaritan’s Purse (SP) supports economic recovery in Dominica
Tropical Storm Beryl crosses Dominica on July 8–9, causing minimal damage
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Executive Summary
The year 2017 was poignantly marked by numerous humanitarian dramas around the world. From devastating natural disasters to deadly conflicts, Télécoms Sans Frontières has remained mobilised and adapted its response to the specific needs of the affected populations, introducing new and innovative means of providing communications aid.
Executive Summary
Rebuilding Barbuda after Hurricane Irma will significantly stimulate the national economy with recovery projects generating ongoing financial benefit for suppliers and local employment gains, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.
PHILIPSBURG, July 12, 2018 — Sint Maarten Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin and World Bank Country Director, Tahseen Sayed, signed yesterday the first grant of the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund funded by the Government of the Netherlands.
Introduction
This document provides a case study of the efforts to build back better and smarter at the Adina Donovan Elderly Home in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
St. John, Antigua, June 28th, 2018 (NODS) - The two-million US dollar China-funded roofing restoration project on Barbuda has met and exceeded the target of 250 homes, just days before the June 30 deadline.
The initiative, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the government of Antigua and Barbuda, focused on repairing the roofs of houses that received minor and major damage, or those categorized between levels one and three.
This brings the total number of roofs fixed in Barbuda to 407.
