10 KILLED IN CUBA BY HURRICANE IRMA, CARIBBEAN DEATH TOLL NOW 33

A couple of residents have passed away in a recent hit by the dreaded hurricane Irma which has left the Carribean in disarray.

     

                                                Part of the devastated areas in the Caribbean

 

At least 10 people are dead in Cuba in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma barreling through the island – the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the island nation since 1924.

 

Evacuations are still underway in the Caribbean, where more aid is arriving after the hurricane raked a destructive path through the continental United States.

 

The majority of the victims in Cuba were killed by collapsing buildings, the BBC reported. Cuba's president, Raul Castro said recovering from the impact of the hurricane would be an "immense task."

 

Evacuation and aid efforts are in full swing across much of the Caribbean, too, with France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom already having boots on the ground. The U.S. government said it would be sending a flight to evacuate its citizens from St. Martin, one of the hardest-hit islands, on Monday, the Associated Press reported. Evacuees were told to expect long lines and no running water when they arrived at the airport.

 

A Royal Caribbean Cruise Line ship was expected to dock near the island to help with the aftermath, and a boat was reportedly bringing a 5-ton crane capable of unloading large shipping containers filled with relief assets, according to AP.

 

A French military ship was expected to arrive Tuesday carrying materials to build temporary housing with.

      

 

More than 1,200 American tourists were evacuated Saturday from Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of St. Martin, with the help of the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Defense Department. Evacuations began with those in need of urgent medical care, spokeswoman Heather Nauert told the Associated Press. It is estimated that the island lost more than 70 percent of its buildings.

 

In St. Thomas, the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship, was used to evacuate hospital patients from St. Thomas to St. Croix and Puerto Rico. The Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line is using one of its ships as an ad-hoc rescue boat to evacuate 2,000 tourists from the island, AP reports. The ship is scheduled to arrive Tuesday to take the evacuees to Miami.

 

At least 23 deaths have been confirmed after the storm brought "catastrophic" damage that left parts of the Caribbean "practically uninhabitable."

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