By the Caribbean Journal staff

Hurricane Irma caused “devastating” destruction in the British Virgin Islands when it hit the territory, the BVI’s Tourist Board said in a statement.

“The destruction caused by Hurricane Irma in the British Virgin Islands has been devastating. With cell phone towers down and power outages, it has been difficult to receive communication from within the territory, and to fully assess the damage,” said British Virgin Islands Director of Tourism Sharon Flax-Brutus. The destination has lost entire structures and many homes are without roofs, or have been diminished to merely foundations. Sadly, there may have been fatalities in the territory, but there are none confirmed at this time as we are still in the assessment process, which has been a challenge due to lack of communication.”

The government has begun coordinating humanitarian relief efforts and an initial clean-up operation.

Additionally, the United Kingdom government is sending Royal Navy Flagship HMS Ocean to offer relief and support.

The BVI said it was also watching Hurricane Jose, a Category 3 storm that is slated to reach the area over the weekend.

“We are doing our best to make sure people in the BVI are making safety a priority,” the BVI said.

Those looking to make donations can send them to the BVI Recovery Fund.

“We want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support for the BVI community,” Flax-Brutus said. “The people of the British Virgin Islands are resilient and we are confident we will be able to rebuild.”

The post Irma Causes “Devastating” Destruction in British Virgin Islands appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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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 Wednesday evening, Irma was 315 miles east-southeast of Grand Turks island in the Turks and Caicos, with continued maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.

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.

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

Irma was tracking to move just north of Puerto Rico on Wednesday evening and pass near or just north of the coast of Hispaniola on Thursday, nearing the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by Thursday evening.

Wednesday saw Irma pummel islands including Barbuda, St Barth, St Martin, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands before making landfall in 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.

The post Irma Continues Westward After Battering Barbuda, St Martin appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Category-5 Hurricane Irma pummeled the dual-nation island of St Martin/St Maarten and nearby St Barth on Wednesday, leaving massive flooding and widespread destruction.

The storm caused the deaths of at least two people, confirmed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said the damage would be “harsh and cruel.”

“Structural damage on the two islands is considerable,” he said.

The damage at Princess Juliana Airport.

Crucially, the storm also devastated the Dutch side’s Princess Juliana International Airport, a major hub for the wider Caribbean region, though the extent of the damage was not yet clear.

Whoa. This is the havoc of Hurricane Irma on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.pic.twitter.com/Eh7mRdPkiJ

— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) September 6, 2017

Macron said his government was mobilizing a total response to the disaster, setting up an emergency fund and beginning to implement a reconstruction plan.

French Overseas Minister Annick Girardin will visit Thursday to assess and bring resources to the island.

The post St Martin, St Barth Pummeled by Irma appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Hurricane Irma was set to make landfall in the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning as a potentially catastrophic Category 5 hurricane.

As of 11 PM in the evening, Irma was just 50 miles east-northeast of Antigua, with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.

The NOAA said the “extremely dangerous core” of Irma would move over portions of the northern Leeward Islands Tuesday night and early Wednesday, before moving near or over portions of the northern Virgin Islands on Wednesday and pass near or just north of Puerto Rico late Wednesday and Wednesday night.

While the NOAA said some fluctuations were likely over the next few days, Irma was forecast to remain a powerful Category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center, with tropical storm force winds extending outward up to 175 miles.

Hurricane Warnings remained in effect for islands including Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, St Martin and St Barth, along with the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra.

The Dominican Republic also issued a hurricane warning for the area from Cabo Engano to the northern border with Haiti.

Looking ahead, hurricane watches were in effect for Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Le Mole St Nicholas, along with the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Southeastern Bahamas and Cuba from the Matanzas province eastward to Guantanamo.

A tropical storm warning was also in effect for Dominica and parts of the Dominican Republic.

A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

The threat of Irma has led to states of emergency across the Caribbean and frantic preparations and evacuations ahead of its impact.

The post Hurricane Irma Set to Make Landfall in the Caribbean appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Airbnb hosts in the Caribbean and Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico have earned more than $266 million so far in 2017, according to the company’s latest data report.

These destinations have attracted nearly 2 million guest arrivals this year, representing a 170 percent increase from the same eight months in 2016.

The report comes as Airbnb has signed more than 10 collaboration agreements across the Caribbean and Mexico covering both tourism cooperation and more formal tax collection logistics.

“By strengthening support for home sharing and allowing Airbnb to help users fulfill their local lodging tax obligations, these governments have set strong examples for other Latin American countries that are devoted to tourism development,” Airbnb said in a release.

So far, Airbnb has signed agreements with governments including Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Curacao, Grenada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and with the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

“These agreements strengthen the region’s tourism industry, and we are proud to have streamlined the lodging tax collection process for our users in places like Mexico City, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum,” explained Jordi Torres, regional director for Airbnb in Latin America. “And we look forward to rolling out new announcements with governments in the rest of the continent,” he added.

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