A region widely renown for its sun sea and sand, the northern leeward islands had to bare the brunt of probably the strongest ever recorded Hurricane in the Atlantic ocean. The Category 5 hurricane certainly left an impression that will forever be etched in the minds of the people of St.Marteen and the sister island of Antigua, Barbuda. The island nations made all efforts to prepared for the ferocious winds and rain that was expected of a hurricane of this nature but for some, it simply was not enough.
Like the thief in the night, Irma showed its immense power as it terrorized houses, cars, hotels, airports, and anything that stood in its path. The island of Barbuda went offline at around 12:30 Wednesday morning as efforts to reach persons on the island known for its pink sandy beach proved not possible.
On Tuesday, panic was quite evident as persons ran to and fro trying to purchase the necessities needed to take them through the passage of the storm whether it be food, flashlights, batteries and other supplies. The Antigua Met Office gave one of the best remarks on its twitter feed that most likely summed up the situation in the region, "May the Lord bless our souls".
St. Marteen had similar circumstances to Barbuda as it too felt the sheer force of Irma's winds and rain. The devastating aftermath of Irma was quite evident as the country awoke to catastrophe left behind. Below are the images of the destruction done to both Barbuda and St.Maarten.
St. Maarten
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Barbuda Aftermath
Codrington Airstrip
Barbuda cell tower split into two pieces.