https://www.scmp.com/rss/325154/feed Hurricane Irma battered the northern Caribbean, leaving death and sdestruction in its wake. The category 5 storm, with winds of 300km/h was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. With South Florida next in its path, more than 500,000 people were ordered to evacuate. Florida Governor Rick Scott noted the size of the powerful storm, and told residents not to become complacent. “It is wider than our entire state and could cause major and life-threatening impacts from coast... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com While the long-term impact may be minimal, natural disasters usually deter holidaymakers from visiting the affected area in the immediate aftermath. This can trigger a chain reaction, leading to the closure of tourism-related businesses and lay-offs, which in turn reverberates throughout the local community. Here are eight natural disasters – and disasters exacerbated by human-influenced climate breakdown – that left their mark on tourists and their hosts. 1. Venice – 2019 floods Hong Kong had a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3234262/8-natural-disasters-shook-tourists-their-core?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3234262/8-natural-disasters-shook-tourists-their-core?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2023 20:15:20 +0000 Steel drums carry a jubilant rendition of Guantanamera over the ruins of Barbuda’s capital Codrington, as dignitaries and residents mark the latest bit of progress in the island’s gruelling struggle to recover from Hurricane Irma. The event celebrated a Chinese-funded programme to replace roofs ripped from more than 300 homes by the powerful storm that damaged or destroyed nearly every building on the tiny island when it roared through on September 6 last year. The project has enabled hundreds... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2155319/china-seeks-fill-void-left-western-neglect-antigua-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2155319/china-seeks-fill-void-left-western-neglect-antigua-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jul 2018 05:06:56 +0000 The five living former US presidents made a rare appearance together on stage at a fundraiser for those affected by recent hurricanes that struck Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. It was a show of unity and compassion after a week in which Barack Obama and George W. Bush broke an unwritten rule to deliver implicit criticism of the present occupant of the White House. While neither mentioned Donald Trump by name, Bush gave a speech in New York expressing concern that “bigotry... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2116439/all-five-living-former-us-presidents-make-rare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2116439/all-five-living-former-us-presidents-make-rare?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Oct 2017 03:12:17 +0000 A majority of Americans say that global climate change contributed to the severity of recent hurricanes in Florida and Texas, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. That marks a significant shift of opinion from a dozen years ago, when a majority of the public dismissed the role of global warming and said such severe weather events just happen from time to time. In a 2005 Post-ABC poll, taken a month after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf coast and devastated New Orleans, 39 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2113284/wake-devastating-hurricanes-majority-americans-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2113284/wake-devastating-hurricanes-majority-americans-now?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Sep 2017 13:19:48 +0000 “Maria is developing the dreaded pinhole eye,” wrote US National Hurricane Centre forecaster Jack Beven Monday evening, as the storm reached category 4 intensity. That inward contraction of a hurricane’s eye can be one telltale indicator of what hurricane gurus technically call “rapid intensification” although a more evocative word might simply be “explosion”. Whatever you call it, it’s something we keep seeing this year. Harvey, Irma, Jose, and now Maria have all rapidly strengthened – and all... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2112032/hurricanes-harvey-irma-jose-and-maria-have-one-thing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2112032/hurricanes-harvey-irma-jose-and-maria-have-one-thing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Sep 2017 08:30:30 +0000 US President Donald Trump praised first responders in storm-ravaged Florida on Thursday for limiting the US death toll from devastating Hurricane Irma, the second major storm to hit the United States this year. Trump’s visit came the day after police in Hollywood, Florida, launched an criminal investigation into a nursing home where eight patients died after the facility lost power and continued to operate with little or no air conditioning in sweltering heat. Eight elders die in sweltering... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2111263/trump-thanks-rescue-teams-florida-work-during?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2111263/trump-thanks-rescue-teams-florida-work-during?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Sep 2017 18:15:15 +0000 Eight patients at a sweltering nursing home died after Hurricane Irma knocked out the air conditioning, raising fears Wednesday about the safety of Florida’s 4 million senior citizens amid power outages that could last for days. Hollywood Police Chief Tom Sanchez said investigators believe the deaths at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills were heat-related, and added: “The building has been sealed off and we are conducting a criminal investigation.” Governor Rick Scott called on Florida... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2111100/eight-elders-die-sweltering-florida-nursing-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2111100/eight-elders-die-sweltering-florida-nursing-home?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Sep 2017 23:42:57 +0000 French President Emmanuel Macron and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson travelled on Tuesday to the hurricane-hit Caribbean, rebuffing criticism over the relief efforts as European countries boost aid to their devastated island territories. Macron’s plane touched down in Saint Martin as anger grew over looting and lawlessness in the French-Dutch territory after Hurricane Irma. “He needs to come to look around, so that he realises the horror here,” local resident Peggy Brun said. Speaking in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110928/macron-and-johnson-defy-stormy-reception-visit-hurricane-hit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110928/macron-and-johnson-defy-stormy-reception-visit-hurricane-hit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Sep 2017 02:07:23 +0000 Residents who returned to the Florida Keys archipelago on Tuesday found Hurricane Irma had shredded mobile homes like soda cans and coated businesses with seaweed, while the death toll rose for the second major hurricane to hit the United States this year. Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record before it arrived in the United States, killed 43 people in its rampage through the Caribbean and at least 12 in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. On Islamorada Key, one of just... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110911/floridians-tally-damage-inflicted-monster-storm-irma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110911/floridians-tally-damage-inflicted-monster-storm-irma?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2017 20:12:47 +0000 Over 100 high-risk prisoners escaped in the British Virgin Islands during Hurricane Irma, a British junior minister said on Tuesday, as he raised the death toll in British territories to nine. “We had a serious threat of a complete breakdown of law and order in the British Virgin islands (BVI),” junior foreign minister Alan Duncan told parliament. “The prison was breached, over 100 very serious prisoners escaped,” he said. Duncan said Royal Marines were deployed to cope with the threat but did... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110903/100-prisoners-escape-british-virgin-islands-height-hurricane?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110903/100-prisoners-escape-british-virgin-islands-height-hurricane?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2017 17:26:30 +0000 Florida began allowing some residents to return to their homes hammered by Hurricane Irma on Tuesday, but officials warned that it would take a long time to repair the damage wrought by high winds and pounding surf. Irma, which rampaged through the Caribbean as one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record, was downgraded to a tropical depression on Monday. It was expected to dissipate from Tuesday evening, the National Hurricane Centre said. At its peak it prompted the evacuation of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110878/we-are-finding-some-remains-authorities-search?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110878/we-are-finding-some-remains-authorities-search?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2017 12:48:01 +0000 Hurricane Irma may have wreaked devastation to the Florida Keys islands, but, much to everyone’s relief, a colony of six-toed cats who are descended from a pet owned by Ernest Hemingway have survived without a scratch. Stern orders to evacuate, dire warnings of the doom that inevitably awaited and the desperate pleas of the legendary writer’s granddaughter weren’t enough to budge the caretakers of the historic house – who decided to place their faith in the building’s thick limestone walls and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110805/hemingways-six-toed-cats-survive-hurricane-irma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110805/hemingways-six-toed-cats-survive-hurricane-irma?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2017 06:20:51 +0000 Hurricane Irma was supposed to be a monster storm, immense and record-breaking in size as it charged toward Florida with enough ferocity to devastate a state that is home to some 20 million people. But as the sun rose Monday, floodwaters in Florida quickly receded, and torn off roofs, tree-damaged homes and toppled boats were limited to isolated pockets of the state. “I didn’t see the damage I thought I would see,” Florida Governor Rick Scott said after an aerial tour of the island chain of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110776/hurricane-irma-hit-florida-hard-not-hard-everyone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110776/hurricane-irma-hit-florida-hard-not-hard-everyone?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2017 04:10:15 +0000 Authorities sent an aircraft carrier and other Navy ships to help with search-and-rescue operations in Florida on Monday as a flyover of the hurricane-battered Keys yielded what the governor said were scenes of devastation. “I just hope everyone survived,” Governor Rick Scott said. He said boats were cast ashore, water, sewers and electricity were knocked out, and “I don’t think I saw one trailer park where almost everything wasn’t overturned.” Authorities also struggled to clear the single... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110745/aircraft-carrier-rushes-rescue-battered-florida-keys?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110745/aircraft-carrier-rushes-rescue-battered-florida-keys?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2017 01:10:45 +0000 Irma weakened to a still-deadly tropical storm as it swirled beyond Florida Monday, killing at least three people in Georgia, flooding the coast, sending trees crashing onto homes and forcing the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta to cancel hundreds of flights. Irma had ranked as one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes recorded. It cut power to millions of people and ripped roofs off homes as it hit a wide swathe of Florida on Sunday and Monday. Authorities said the storm had killed 38... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110735/hurricane-irma-gradually-weakens-florida-wrestles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110735/hurricane-irma-gradually-weakens-florida-wrestles?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Sep 2017 20:45:30 +0000 Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States have ramped up relief efforts for their territories in the Caribbean after the passage of Hurricane Irma last week left devastation in its wake. There has been some criticism of the response, particularly in British overseas territories. Britain has pledged £32 million (35 million euros, US$42 million) in assistance and sent 10 flights of aid since Friday to its affected Caribbean territories, the British Virgin Islands and the Anguilla... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110734/us-european-countries-ramp-relief-aid-caribbean-after-deadly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110734/us-european-countries-ramp-relief-aid-caribbean-after-deadly?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Sep 2017 19:26:24 +0000 Cranes at three South Florida high rises under construction collapsed in the face of heavy winds as Hurricane Irma ripped through the area on Sunday, days after authorities warned about dangers to cranes from the approaching storm. No injuries were reported in any of the three collapses, and investigations would begin after the storm cleared, officials said. Soon after one of the cranes collapsed, the chief executive of the company developing the building said he was attending the US Open tennis... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110611/irmas-winds-buckle-three-giant-cranes-south-florida?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110611/irmas-winds-buckle-three-giant-cranes-south-florida?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Sep 2017 04:30:42 +0000 It was a distinctly Floridian twist: a sheriff in the southeastern US state known for its love of guns has warned residents not to shoot at Hurricane Irma after an online prank promoting the idea went viral. “To clarify, DO NOT shoot weapons @ #Irma,” the office of the sheriff of Pasco County, on the state’s west coast, tweeted late on Saturday as the storm made landfall. “You won’t make it turn around & it will have very dangerous side effects” the message added, in reference to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110579/us-sheriff-issues-warning-do-not-shoot-weapons-irma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110579/us-sheriff-issues-warning-do-not-shoot-weapons-irma?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Sep 2017 20:54:59 +0000 Downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, Irma left several northern Florida cities flooded and continued to batter them with heavy rain and high storm surges on Monday. Once ranked one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic, Irma hit vast sections of Florida through Sunday and into Monday. It first made landfall on the Florida Keys archipelago as a category 4 storm with winds up to 215km/h and then coming ashore south of Naples and heading up the west coast. Weakening... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110578/monster-hurricane-irma-batters-florida-floods-swamp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110578/monster-hurricane-irma-batters-florida-floods-swamp?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Sep 2017 20:00:30 +0000 Caribbean island residents emerged from bunkers and shelters to begin surveying and cleaning up the damage from Hurricane Irma on Sunday as the trailing Hurricane Jose passed farther north of the islands than expected. The French Caribbean territories of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, devastated days earlier by Irma, had been on lockdown overnight for the second hurricane. On Sunday morning, the French meteorological service reduced the alert from its top level of violet to yellow, saying... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110569/caribbean-islands-pounded-irma-relieved-hurricane-jose-veers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110569/caribbean-islands-pounded-irma-relieved-hurricane-jose-veers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Sep 2017 16:29:15 +0000 The Miami zoo is taking no chances with Peanut, a critically endangered white-rumped vulture, or with its more common pink flamingos. With Hurricane Irma making landfall in Florida, the zoological park evacuated Peanut from his enclosure and placed him in a fortified concrete bunker along with other animals early on Saturday. Zookeepers scrambled to secure animals and finish testing emergency equipment as weather deteriorated ahead of Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110538/miami-zoo-animals-bunker-down-ferocious-hurricane?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110538/miami-zoo-animals-bunker-down-ferocious-hurricane?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Sep 2017 09:16:08 +0000 Hurricane Irma’s eye wall slammed into the Florida Keys on Sunday, lashing the island chain with fearsome wind gusts as it bore down on the state’s west coast where a mass exodus had turned cities into ghost towns. Irma, packing maximum sustained winds of 215km/h, was upgraded overnight to a category 4 storm as it closed in on the Keys, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said. More than 6 million people – one third of the state’s population – were ordered to evacuate their homes ahead of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110531/millions-ordered-evacuate-hurricane-irma-makes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110531/millions-ordered-evacuate-hurricane-irma-makes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Sep 2017 08:11:31 +0000 Hurricane Irma will pose the toughest test yet for US nuclear power plants since reactors strengthened their defences against natural disasters following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in Japan in 2011. Irma was on course to hit South Florida early on Sunday after slamming Cuba as a category 5 storm. It weakened to a category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 210km/h on Saturday, but was expected to strengthen before reaching Florida, bringing a storm surge to a state home to four... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110513/heeding-lessons-fukushima-us-nuclear-industry-braces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110513/heeding-lessons-fukushima-us-nuclear-industry-braces?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Sep 2017 05:17:18 +0000 Climate change doubters like US President Donald Trump cannot deny that temperatures are rising and as a result, storms are becoming more dangerous. Irma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane for a decade, proves that. So too did Hurricane Harvey in Texas with its record-breaking downpours, Typhoon Hato’s devastating rains and winds in Macau, Guangdong and Hong Kong, and deluges that have caused so much loss of life and damage across South Asia and in Africa and Europe. In many cases, the deaths... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2110497/threat-storms-cannot-be-doubted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2110497/threat-storms-cannot-be-doubted?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Sep 2017 16:46:44 +0000 The sky darkened, lightning flashed and a jolt of turbulence shook the cabin of the hulking Air Force turboprop aircraft as it plied its way toward the eye of Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest Atlantic storms ever recorded. Piloting the four-engine, WC-130J aircraft was Air Force Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Jim Hitterman, who over the past 22 years has flown into 40 to 50 hurricanes. Every storm is different but he likens the experience to driving through a car wash – with one big... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110494/hurricane-hunters-who-fly-through-monster-storms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110494/hurricane-hunters-who-fly-through-monster-storms?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Sep 2017 15:13:08 +0000 Hurricane Irma has pounded the Caribbean, destroying homes and leaving at least 19 people dead. The hurricane made landfall in Cuba’s Camaguey Archipelago late on Friday as a maximum-strength Category Five storm, and is now bearing down on the US state of Florida, where authorities have ordered 5.6 million people to evacuate. Though it weakened Saturday to Category 4, it was still packing powerful maximum sustained winds of 250 kilometres an hour as it zeroed in on the Sunshine State. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110491/what-where-when-10-fast-facts-about-deadly-hurricane?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110491/what-where-when-10-fast-facts-about-deadly-hurricane?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Sep 2017 13:45:30 +0000 Battered and weary after being pummelled by Hurricane Irma, terrified residents Saturday awaited an unprecedented second monster storm bearing down on already devastated Caribbean islands. “Return to the safest shelters before the hurricane arrives, and avoid areas which could flood,” police in the French part of St Martin pleaded, only three days it was ravaged by Irma. Jose, a Category Four storm, will bring heavy rains and winds of 130 to 150 kilometres an hour, meteorologists said. But it... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110483/first-irma-now-jose-tourist-islands-brace-next-hurricane?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110483/first-irma-now-jose-tourist-islands-brace-next-hurricane?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Sep 2017 11:55:38 +0000 Hurricane Irma pummelled the north coast of Cuba Saturday, inflicting “significant damage” as millions of people in the US state of Florida hunkered down for a direct hit from the monster storm. Irma’s blast through the Cuban coastline weakened the storm to a Category Three, but it is still packing 205 kilometre per hour and was expected to regain power before hitting the Florida Keys early Sunday, US forecasters. At least 19 people have been killed since Irma began its devastating march through... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110447/all-floridians-should-be-prepared-evacuate-mass?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110447/all-floridians-should-be-prepared-evacuate-mass?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Sep 2017 03:09:57 +0000 When they first boarded the Norwegian Escape a week ago, passengers knew exactly where they were going. Now they have no idea. The cruise ship, with about 4,000 guests on board, departed from Miami on Saturday, September 2, and was scheduled to return a week later, after making stops in Honduras, Belize and Mexico. The boat made it to the Honduran island of Roatan on Monday and Belize the following day. But on Tuesday, passengers were told that their ports of call at Mexico’s Cozumel island and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110443/cruise-nowhere-thousands-riding-out-hurricane-irma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110443/cruise-nowhere-thousands-riding-out-hurricane-irma?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2017 23:30:30 +0000 US President Donald Trump urged Americans Friday to get out of the way of Hurricane Irma, calling it an “epic” storm as other officials warned time was running out for people living its path to escape its wrath. Irma menaced Cuba and the Bahamas on Friday as it drove toward Florida after lashing the Caribbean with devastatingly high winds, killing 21 people and leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake.Irma is now a category 4 hurricane packing winds of 240km/h and is expected to make... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110410/us-president-donald-trump-urges-americans-stay-safe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110410/us-president-donald-trump-urges-americans-stay-safe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2017 13:45:15 +0000 The race to flee Hurricane Irma turned into a marathon as more than a half-million people were ordered to leave south Florida on Thursday, ahead of a storm whose impact is predicted to dwarf that of 1992’s devastating Hurricane Andrew. With the storm barrelling toward the tip of Florida fafter leaving a trail of ruin in the Caribbean, normally quick trips turned into day-long journeys on crowded highways amid a constant search for petrol and lodging. Airline seats out of Florida were in short... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110273/traffic-nightmare-500000-floridians-flee-irma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110273/traffic-nightmare-500000-floridians-flee-irma?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2017 02:12:05 +0000 “We had cars flying over our head, we had 40ft containers flying left and right,” said Knacyntar Nedd, chairwoman of the Barbuda council. “People were literally tying themselves to roofs with ropes to hold them down.” As Hurricane Irma blasted across the Caribbean in an arc of horror and destruction on Thursday, killing at least 10 and wreaking near-total devastation on islands at the eye of the storm, victims recalled a night of misery that exceeded even their worst fears. The trail of damage... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110263/we-had-cars-flying-over-our-head-traumatised-caribbeans-describe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110263/we-had-cars-flying-over-our-head-traumatised-caribbeans-describe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2017 02:08:54 +0000 Once there was an island known as Barbuda; after Hurricane Irma, much of it is gone. Hurricane Irma has decimated the small Caribbean island of Barbuda, ripping apart buildings, uprooting trees and killing at least one person as its 185mph winds swept across the two-island nation best known for its pristine sandy beaches. “Barbuda is totally destroyed,” Roderick Faustin, first secretary for the embassy of Antigua and Barbuda in Washington told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday. “At least 95 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110262/much-barbuda-island-caribbean-gone-after-being-hit-hurricane?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2110262/much-barbuda-island-caribbean-gone-after-being-hit-hurricane?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2017 00:44:21 +0000 French, British and Dutch military authorities rushed aid to a devastated string of Caribbean islands Thursday after Hurricane Irma left at least 11 people dead and thousands homeless as it spun toward Florida for what could be a catastrophic blow this weekend. Warships and planes were dispatched with food, water and troops after the fearsome Category 5 storm smashed homes, schools and roads, laying waste to some of the world’s most beautiful and exclusive tourist destinations. Hundreds of miles... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110254/hurricane-irma-kills-10-and-track-direct-hit-florida?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110254/hurricane-irma-kills-10-and-track-direct-hit-florida?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2017 00:43:59 +0000 By Lucy Handley More than 1 million people downloaded walkie-talkie app Zello in just a day as Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean, and it’s now topped Apple’s app store chart in the U.S. People are using it to talk to each other during Hurricane Irma, which is currently heading away from Puerto Rico towards the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It’s beating YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat right now in the chart, and reached 100 million users in February. “We have seen a large number of people signing... https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-gaming/article/2110190/walkie-talkie-app-zello-tops-itunes-chart-us-during-hurricane-irma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/apps-gaming/article/2110190/walkie-talkie-app-zello-tops-itunes-chart-us-during-hurricane-irma?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Sep 2017 09:00:30 +0000 By Karen Gilchrist Richard Branson has said he will remain on his private island in the Caribbean even as it faces being battered by the “potentially catastrophic” Hurricane Irma. The billionaire businessman published a blog post saying that he would ride out the storm with fellow British Virgin Islands residents, despite the eye of the storm being headed directly for his own Necker Island. Branson has remained with his team on the island during previous hurricanes, which have hit the island... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2110185/richard-branson-remain-private-island-it-faces-eye-hurricane-irma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/2110185/richard-branson-remain-private-island-it-faces-eye-hurricane-irma?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Sep 2017 08:45:15 +0000 United States officials have tried to discourage price gouging ahead of Hurricane Irma’s landing in Florida, but the practice appears as imminent as the storm’s arrival. On Wednesday, a 24-pack of 500ml bottles of Ice Mountain Brand Spring Water was priced at US$99.99 on Amazon.com from a third-party seller called BestSource OfficeSupplies. The same product was priced at $9.99 for delivery on Staples.com. Similar cases of Ice Mountain Spring Water ranged in price from less than $8 to $44.90 at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110180/us100-water-prices-surge-hurricane-irma-barrels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110180/us100-water-prices-surge-hurricane-irma-barrels?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Sep 2017 08:11:07 +0000 Powerful Hurricane Irma is threatening millions of people in the Caribbean and Florida. Some answers to questions about Irma and hurricanes: Where do these storms come from? Irma is a classic Cape Verde storm, which begin near the islands off the west coast of Africa. Some of the worst hurricanes start as puffs of unstable air and storminess there and chug west, gaining strength over the warm open Atlantic. Another storm, Jose, has followed in Irma’s footsteps. Some of those storms fizzle from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110083/why-irma-so-strong-it-global-warming-explanation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110083/why-irma-so-strong-it-global-warming-explanation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Sep 2017 01:52:24 +0000 Powerful Hurricane Irma cut a swathe of deadly destruction as it roared through the Caribbean, claiming at least nine lives and turning the tropical islands of St Martin and Barbuda into mountains of rubble. One of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, the rare category 5 hurricane churned westward off the northern coast of Puerto Rico early on Thursday on a potential collision course with south Florida where at-risk areas were evacuated. St Martin – a pristine resort known for its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110074/monster-hurricane-irma-lashes-puerto-rico-and-may?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2110074/monster-hurricane-irma-lashes-puerto-rico-and-may?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Sep 2017 22:30:15 +0000 With Texas still reeling from Hurricane Harvey and another storm barreling toward Florida, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to run out of money by Friday, according to a Senate aide, putting pressure on Congress to provide more funding this week. As of 10am Tuesday morning, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, which pays for the agency’s disaster response and recovery activity, had just US$1.01 billion on hand. And of that, just US$541 million was “immediately available” for response... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2109983/fema-expected-run-out-money-week-just-hurricane-irma?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2109983/fema-expected-run-out-money-week-just-hurricane-irma?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Sep 2017 05:54:41 +0000 Businesses are bracing for the worst as Hurricane Irma barrels toward South Florida, packing potentially catastrophic winds. Insurers led the S&P 500 Index lower on Tuesday, as forecasters struggled to predict whether the strongest storm to form in the open Atlantic Ocean will slam into the third most-populous US state. A direct hit on Miami could theoretically inflict damages in the US$200 billion range, according to Enki Research risk modeller Chuck Watson. Cruise lines, banks and money... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2109928/businesses-and-ordinary-americans-fear-worst?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2109928/businesses-and-ordinary-americans-fear-worst?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Sep 2017 23:51:59 +0000 Hurricane Irma, a powerful category 5 storm, ploughed toward the Caribbean and the southern US on Tuesday as islands in its path braced for possible life-threatening winds, storm surges and flooding. Hurricane warnings and watches were in effect for parts of the Leeward Islands, the British and US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, in preparation for a storm that was intensifying with 240km/h winds, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said. “Dangerous Hurricane Irma heading for the Leeward... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2109753/hurricane-irma-now-category-4-it-heads-eastern-caribbean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/2109753/hurricane-irma-now-category-4-it-heads-eastern-caribbean?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Sep 2017 22:44:50 +0000 Hurricane Irma formed in the Atlantic and is forecast to reach ‘extremely dangerous’ Category 4 strength in the next week or so, the National Hurricane Centre said on Thursday. The hurricane was rated a Category 2 with 100-mph winds, and it is forecast to become an “extremely dangerous” major hurricane over the next several days. Irma was located about 1,845 miles east of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean. It poses no immediate threat to land and its eventual track remains highly uncertain as... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2109242/hurricane-irma-forms-atlantic-and-could-threaten-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2109242/hurricane-irma-forms-atlantic-and-could-threaten-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Aug 2017 17:43:35 +0000