Caribbean countries have suffered more than US$45 billion in damage after being battered back-to-back by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Chuck Watson, a disaster modeller at Enki Research in Georgia, told media outlets in the United States Irma alone was expected to cause $45 billion of damage across the Caribbean, with at least $30 billion of that in Puerto Rico.
In 21 countries, the Category 5 systems left a trail of death, destruction and disorder never before witnessed in one hurricane season. An estimated 1.2m people in the Caribbean have been affected by the storms, with the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and St Kitts/Nevis – being affected by both systems.
According to disaster risk experts in the United States, the bill from Irma in the Caribbean, excluding Puerto Rico, could be around US$10 billion making it the costliest storm ever to hit the region. They say the rebuilding and recovery process could also take many years. (MB)
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