12 Trinis evacuated from St Maarten

The damage on the island of St Martin after Hurricane Irma.
The damage on the island of St Martin after Hurricane Irma.

Following the aftermath of Category Five Hurricane Irma, which battered the Leeward Islands and Florida, Government yesterday said that so far it has been able to airlift 12 Trinidad and Tobago nationals safely from St Maarten to Antigua. There is currently an operation to extract more nationals from St Maarten.

While Antingua got its fair share of wreckage, because of it mountainous terrain, it was spared the devastation caused in Barbuda because of its low lying territory and most of its population being located next to the coast line.

TT nationals in Antigua were being looked after by the government of Antigua and Barbuda in the spirit of continued co-operation.

This country’s Government, under the co-ordination of the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs and the Ministry of National Security, has been working to evacuate TT nationals from St Maarten and the British Virgin Islands.

The Government, in conjunction with the government of Antigua and Barbuda and the National Helicopter Services Limited, has made arrangements to attempt to airlift our nationals who have been providing information from St Maarten.

“We have been working very closely with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. It is envisaged that we will airlift our identified nationals from St Maarten to Antigua during the course of today,” a release stated yesterday.

An official request has been made to the British Government for assistance with respect to the evacuation of TT nationals in the British Virgin Islands.

The Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs has provided a hotline -- 868-715-2154 -- and any information with respect to TT nationals in these jurisdictions should be provided to this hotline.

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"12 Trinis evacuated from St Maarten"

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