Prisoners freed by Hurricane Irma are back in jail

A number of foreign dignitaries are set to visit the Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma.

Alexandra Carmona, 34, has lived in St. Thomas for the past 15 years with her family and children but planned to send them to Boston for now. Ninety percent of St. Thomas’ distribution power lines, poles are on the ground.

Kimarley Brathweite, 13, sits in his grandmother’s damaged apartment in the Tutu High Rise in St. Thomas on September 12.

JASON BEAUBIEN, BYLINE: Hi, Ari. We can pray. Then we must act. You just have this helpless feeling all you have is the phone. So that’s where I am here. There’s no rest for the tired here. Tourists and some locals have been leaving on Coast Guard vessels and cruise ships to Miami and Puerto Rico.

“I was privileged to have the option to leave and there are many who are not able to get out. I feel like that has not prepared me for what is going to come but time will tell and we’ll see what’s going to happen”, Kaffenbarger said at the time. Can you tell us about that?

SHAPIRO: Yeah, I can hear that. Nevertheless, authorities shut off power in large parts of the city and evacuated some 10,000 people from central Havana near the Malecon seawall because of fears of flooding from the storm surge. And they’re feeding about 300 people a day with these free meals.

“I was anxious that the children weren’t eating”, she said, tears streaming her face as she spoke of having to separate from them. And it’s been hard to come by.

The British Virgin Islands’ head, Orlando Smith, said they would require long haul assistance from the UK: “We are a flexible people yet this has shaken us to our center”. “I know at some point somebody was doing this for me”. There are also a few gas stations that are open. So we’re just really trying to get support systems in place.

Cuban state television reported severe damage to hotels on the northern keys off Ciego de Avila and Camaguey provinces.

Photos from the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite show some of Irma’s effect on the British and U.S. Virgin Islands from space. On Twitter, meteorologist Greg Diamond reported gusts as high as 64 miles per hour at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson global airport. He said he thinks it’ll be nine months before that airport is fully operational again.

Now leaders and residents alike must grapple with a daunting economic challenge: How do you rebuild an island paradise?

Recovery will take years as there’s “an bad lot of work that is going to need to be done”, according to John Rabin, an acting administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency for region two, which covers the islands.

Sometimes, it seems as if folks in USA media need to be reminded again and again: Black lives matter.

“I have no job, I have no house, I have no money”, said Miriam Martinez, who works as a housekeeper and chef on St. John. Providing access to potable water remains a priority, they said, adding that a desalination machine is expected to arrive from Spain on Friday. And it has been eight days since Irma hit, and people were going through some of those supplies even before Irma hit.

The British Virgin Islands’ premier, Orlando Smith, said they would need long-term help from the UK: “We are a resilient people but this has shaken us to our core”. Things are getting better. We asked for a little bit faster mobilization of provisions to the islands. Thanks a lot, Jason.