Anguilla, a low-lying British Overseas Territory in the eastern Caribbean, was one of
several islands subjected to the brutality of Hurricane Irma during the Atlantic Hurricane Season
of 2017. After devastating Barbuda, the Category Five system made landfall in Anguilla and Sint
Maarten on September 6th. That day by 8:00AM, the National Emergency Operating Centre
reported that Hurricane Irma was located 15 miles west-southwest of Anguilla and moving west-
northwest, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and higher gusts. At that time, the eye of
Hurricane Irma was passing over Saint Martin and the northern eyewall was pounding Anguilla.
A flash flood warning remained in effect in Anguilla until 12:00PM Wednesday September 6.
Anguilla, a low-lying British Overseas Territory in the eastern Caribbean, was one of several
islands subjected to the brutality of Hurricane Irma during the Atlantic Hurricane Season of 2017.
After devastating Barbuda, the Category Five system made landfall in Anguilla and Saint
Maarten on September 6th. That day by 8:00AM, the National Emergency Operating Centre
reported that Hurricane Irma was located 15 miles west-southwest of Anguilla and moving west-
northwest, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and higher gusts. At that time, the eye of
Hurricane Irma was passing over Saint Martin and the northern eyewall was pounding Anguilla.
A flash flood warning remained in effect in Anguilla until 12:00PM Wednesday September 6.
Hurricane Irma caused few major injuries and one (1) fatality. With final preparations in place, an
overwhelming
majority of the population opted to weather the storm in private accommodations, with only 12 of
the island’s 13,572 residents electing to utilize public shelters. Three of the four shelters were
compromised. Fortunately, none of their occupants required hospitalization, evacuation or
relocation in the immediate aftermath.
The country sustained significant damages to its environment and economy, resulting in major
disruptions to Anguilla’s private productive and tourism sectors.
The Island suffered critical damage, damage was severe leading to downed communication and
damage to the main Princess Alexandra Hospital, schools, prison, fire and police stations, many
trees blocked roads, there was flooding and destruction to a number of homes. There was also
extensive damage to the airport with the air traffic control tower damaged, 3 of the 4 shelters
were also damaged.
Of the total damages estimated at Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD) 507 million, 76.5 per cent was
incurred in the private sector and 23.5 per cent in the public sector. A sectoral analysis revealed
that the productive sector was hardest hit, accounting for 54.8 per cent of damages; followed by
the social and infrastructure sectors which stand at 28.2 per cent and 17 per cent respectively.
Losses were valued at XCD 331.5 million. Further evaluations of these estimates indicate that the
most affected sectors were the productive (85.1 per cent), infrastructure (12.5 per cent), and social
sectors (2.4 per cent). Again, the private sector was more impacted than the public, representing
88.3 per cent and 11.7 per cent of total losses. The public sector will have to bear the majority of
additional costs, assuming 58.2 per cent of the total expenditure estimated at XCD 41. 9 Million.
The previous trend continues, as most funds will be expended in the productive, infrastructure
and social subsectors. Ports, power systems, roads, tourism and education account for a
7
significant portion of these estimates, but debris removal and clean-up operations also represent a
sizeable share of this appraisal.
Overall, the sector most affected by the hurricane was tourism. It is the driving force of the
Anguillan economy; the central element of island activity and the main source of tax revenue.
The impact of Hurricane Irma on Anguilla’s tourism sector will be severe. Damages are
significant but even worse are the losses, which will extend several months beyond. Total damage
is estimated at XCD $275 million and is extensive, affecting buildings, equipment, furniture, and
landscaping. The damages were caused mostly by intense wind, flying debris, and, in properties
close to sea level, water surge. Most damage is concentrated in the large hotels and resorts (XCD
$203 million), which cater to high-end consumers. These facilities are especially costly and
commonly have additional equipment such as generators, water treatment plants, reverse-osmosis
plants and even greenhouses. The estimated damage is XCD $23.9 million in the Villas and XCD
$48.1 million in the medium size hotels and villas.
Losses—in accommodation, meals and drinks, shopping, and transportation— amount to XCD
$270.2 million, of which XCD $101.2 million occurs in 2017, XCD $168.1 million in 2018, and
XCD $898,000 in 2019. Reduced tourist arrivals will have spillover effects in the rest of the
economy. The additional cost in the sector is XCD $7.7 million. Three sectors of infrastructure
necessary for the optimal functioning of tourism such as power, telecommunications and roads,
airports and ports suffered significant impacts. In the case of the power sector, wind damage to
utility poles and overhead power lines was widespread and led to prolonged power outages on the
island. Metal roofs failed atop power-generation and administrative buildings, causing damage
to equipment inside. All photovoltaic panels on the company’s 1.1-megawatt solar array were
blown away or shattered by torsion and debris. A water tank used for fire suppression at the
generation plant had structural damage from wind pressure. The combined value of damage,
losses
and additional costs is an estimated XCD $51.1 million. Physical damage to the power sector is
estimated at about XCD $24 million, of which about 56 per cent represents damage to
transmission
and distribution networks, 30 per cent is related to power generation, and 13 per cent is for
buildings and equipment.
Losses are estimated at XCD $25.6 million, reflecting the value of power that was not sold
because of damage to the transmission and distribution network and power that will not be sold
due to reduced demand, as hotels remain closed through the high tourist season. Additional costs
are estimated at XCD $3.6 million. This figure mostly reflects costs for crews and equipment
brought
in to support the recovery process. Regarding telecommunications, Anguilla has more than 40
cellular towers, and Hurricane Irma knocked all but three offline. Many collapsed; others failed
due to a loss of power, damage to equipment, or misalignment of antennas. The island’s extensive
overhead network of telecommunications wires, operated by FLOW and Digicel, also failed in
many locations, particularly on the western portion of the island. This affected fixed-line
telephone, broadband Internet, and cable television. Damages to the telecommunications sector
are estimated at XCD $25.2 million. Digicel accounts for 57 per cent of the total damage, and
FLOW, 41 per cent. The rest of the damage (2 per cent) is to the island’s radio and television
broadcasters. Losses are estimated at XCD 4.4 million; extended outages of broadband Internet,
8
cable television, and landline services make up the bulk of that figure. Additional costs are
estimated at XCD $1.8 million. The most affected social sector was housing. However,
Anguilla’s housing infrastructure was able to withstand Hurricane Irma better than most of the
other islands in the Caribbean. Based
on reports and field inspections, the assessment team determined that about 1,759 dwellings were
affected. Of these, an estimated 3 per cent were destroyed, 5 per cent have significant structural
damage, 13 per cent have minor damage, and 79 per cent have some damage. Most of the
severely damaged houses were built with zinc roofs and tinder or plywood walls. This resulted in
a total estimated damage of XCD $83.7 million. Losses refer to interruption of accommodation
services due to severe damage or destruction of the housing stock, making it temporarily or
permanently uninhabitable. The estimated losses for the 235 homes deemed uninhabitable was
XCD $2.2
million. Additional costs are estimated at XCD $7.9 million, including activities such as
demolition of the most severely affected dwellings, debris cleaning, staff services, and equipment
rental.
The overall impact on economic activity is projected to be significant in light of the crippling
blow Hurricane Irma dealt to the local tourism sector. Its contraction will have a knock-on effect
in related subsectors such as wholesale and retail trade, transport and real estate business
activities; however, this will be counteracted, to an extent, by an upsurge in construction activities
as Anguilla’s recovery progresses. It is still to be seen what would be the effect Irma on
Anguilla’s fiscal and debt sustainability, but its position will be considerably weakened. Given
the sweeping effects of Hurricane Irma on the domestic economy, current revenues are projected
to decline to XCD $185.5 million compared with the pre-Irma target of XCD $214.9 million. In
light of the impacts previously discussed, an overall fiscal deficit of XCD $45.4 million is
projected compared with the pre-Irma deficit projection of XCD $10 million.
Taken from these original sources
CEDIM (2017)UNICEF (2017)Proctor and Simpson (2017)
Document: https://goo.gl/Y6qhrC