Badly affected by Hurricane Irma, the island of Anguilla in the Diocese of North East Caribbean and Aruba featured in the BBC2 series, An Island Parish.
Speaking to en on 27 September, Bishop Errol Brooks, whom the TV programme described as a ‘rock’, said that the western half of Anguilla had suffered the worst.
Badly damaged
Of the three Anglican churches, the roof of St Andrew’s Island Harbour had been badly damaged. The winds that blew throughout the day had lifted a sheet or two of the roof in the main church, St Mary’s in the Valley, and water had got inside. While the worship area of the new section of St Augustine’s remained intact the 200-year-old section of the church had been badly damaged. ‘I do not know where to start,’ said the assessor.
Damage was worse on the island of Dominica, where one of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films was shot. The roof of St George’s Church has gone and the rectory, where this writer stayed when doing a locum on the island, is badly damaged. Barbuda, a small island off Antigua, had now been evacuated. The island of St Kitts, however, escaped without any damage.
Ensuring secure distribution
Turning to relief efforts, the warden of St George’s, Dominica told the bishop ‘to send nothing until we can ensure safe and secure distribution.’ While things are calming down it will take time for law and order to prevail against the looters. Bishop Errol was appreciative of the relief efforts by the UK Government to help Anguilla, which is a British Overseas Territory. ‘They did what they could’, he said, ‘I saw helicopters coming off the Royal Navy guard ship to repair the fuel lines ruptured by the storm. I live near the airport and have watched RAF transport flights coming in one after the other.’ Referring to an interview given to the BBC Today Programme by a lawyer on the island who was highly critical of the relief efforts, he said: ‘Once in opposition a person will come up with all kinds of issues to make the sitting government uncomfortable.’
Looking after each other
Asked about encouragements, he noted how people had recognised that they were in reality their brother’s keeper. Those islands that had been unaffected, such as Nevis, had sent relief supplies across to neighbouring islands.
But the real impact of the hurricane will be felt in the upcoming weeks as the tourist season is meant to begin in November, but won’t this year. Unemployment is going to take hold with no airport and no cruise ships dropping tourists to the islands.
Relief supplies, including food, will be needed for some time since agricultural land, for example on Dominica, has been wiped out. Supermarkets are empty. A list is available of items most required, but financial assistance in meeting the needs can be sent to USPG, the Anglican Alliance and Anglican Mainstream.
