ReliefWeb

Five months after a category 5 hurricane Irma, passed by Barbuda, destroying or damaging 90% of the island’s infrastructures, the population, entirely evacuated into neighboring island Antigua is still waiting to return to their homes.

Since the hurricane, about a 20 percent of the 1,800 original inhabitants have returned to Barbuda, where water, electricity and shelter are still limited. Some of the returned families came back straight after the hurricane even knowing that their houses could be probably uninhabitable. Others prefer to stay for some more time in Antigua, both at government shelters or at family houses until situation gets better and they can resume their normal lives.

But live is gradually getting back to normal in Barbuda. The schools have reopened, one of them with more than 60 students attending pre-school, primary and secondary education. Some shops are daily opened with food provision. Barbudans believe that community mobilization is the cornerstone to rebuild the island. Keke, the glass repairer, Ruth, the proud grand-mother, Skyler, the entrepreneur kid, are some of them this Barbudans that day to day struggler to recover their lives.

The International federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Antigua & Barbuda Red Cross are currently working on health, shelter, psychosocial support and cash transfers programmes to support returned population to rebuild their damages houses and livelihoods. Learn more about IFRC´s response Irma Operation here.

See photos on IFRC.