News

Irma Continues Westward After Battering Barbuda, St Martin

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - September 7, 2017

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Caribbean Wednesday, causing major destruction on several islands, including tiny Barbuda, which was almost totally destroyed.

As of Thursday morning, Irma was 110 miles north of Punta Cana and about 165 miles southeast of Grand Turk, with continued maximum sustained winds of 180 miles per hour moving west-northwestward.

As Irma moved north-northwest, a hurricane warning remained in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra, along with the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the border with Haiti, Haiti from its northern border with the DR to Le Mole St Nicholas, the Southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands and the Central Bahamas and northwestern Bahamas.

A hurricane watch was in effect for Cuba from the Matanzas province eastward toward Guantanamo.

Irma was tracking to move just north of the coast of Hispaniola today, be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by this evening, and then be near the Central Bahamas by Friday

Wednesday saw Irma pummel islands including Barbuda, St Barth, St Martin, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands before making hitting Puerto Rico, which left hundreds of thousands without electricity.

St Martin’s famous Grand Case boulevard was devastated by Irma.

The next few days will reveal more about the extent of the damage around the northern Caribbean, though Barbuda was hit the hardest by the eye of the storm.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Barbuda was in “national disaster,” with nearly 90 percent of both vehicles and homes on the island totally destroyed.

The island, which has a population of less than 1,700 people, reportedly saw one death from the storm.

Popular Posts w punta cana

A New All-Inclusive W Hotel Is Opening This Year in Punta Cana 

The first-ever all-inclusive W Hotel in the Caribbean is opening this year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The hotel, part of a broad expansion for parent company Marriott International, is on the list of expected 2024 […]


Why Grenada Is a New Caribbean Luxury Hotspot

beach house silversands

From its world-renowned chocolate to its pristine beaches to a region-leading focus on sustainability, Grenada is as fascinating and unique as destination as you’ll find in the Caribbean.  But in the last few years, the lush Eastern Caribberan island has […]


5 Adults-Only Resorts to Visit Right Now in the Caribbean 

galley bay

Sometimes you just want that extra degree of serenity, of privacy, of seclusion. There is a reason, after all, that adults-only resorts are booming in popularity, particularly in the Caribbean: travelers want to know that when they arrive, they know […]


Related Posts nobu los cabos

Frontier Is Adding a New Nonstop Flight to Los Cabos 

It’s one of the most popular hotel destinations in Mexico: Los Cabos, which has seen a broad boom in recent years with the entry to market of brands like Nobu, Thompson, Marriott and Waldorf Astoria, among others.  That has led, […]


This Former Caribbean Rockefeller Resort Is for Sale

caribbean rockefeller resort

In 1986, Laurance Rockefeller, the founder of Rock Resorts, developed 27 acres of prime beachfront land into what was for decades one of the sought after places to stay in the Caribbean. Now, the four-star, 150-room resort is for sale, […]


Vote for the 2024 Caribbean Green Awards, from Green Energy to Sustainable Hotels

caribbean green

Hotels serving organic food grown by local farmers. Airports powered by large solar fields. Pristine coastlines protected by marine parks. Real estate developments fueled by clean energy. It’s an exciting time for the Green movement in the Caribbean, a region […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You