Irma: 'Without help, people are going to die,' say British Virgin Islands residents

BVI was decimated by the hurricane - now residents are terrified the world will move on and forget about them

Tortola has been devastated by Irma (Jonathan Moynihan)

Brittany and Scott Meyers and their three kids were a young family living the dream. Home was a 48’ yacht called Legato moored in Nanny Cay, Tortola, one of the British Virgin Islands (BVI). They owned a popular day charter business on the 50-strong island group. “The BVI is a fantastic place to live. Not too big, not too small with a healthy tourism sector and a melting pot of cultures and nationalities,” Brittany says.

When Hurricane Irma first appeared in the weather forecasts, the Meyers felt pretty confident. The family was on an annual visit to the US, but Brittany says their boats were prepared: “Our marina is a natural hurricane hole with a record of weathering storms really well.”

Locals are scrambling to piece their lives back together (Jonathan Moynihan)

But as Irma intensified, the islanders began to worry. “A friend offered to go to Legato and load up suitcases for us,” says Brittany. In the end, it made no difference – their home sank and the items rescued from the boat were blown away when the friend’s own home was destroyed.

Now, with the remnants of Irma fading out somewhere over Indiana, it’s sinking in; the Meyers, like many people in the BVI, have lost their home, their business and “the life we knew and loved so much.”

While much of the media focus has been on Florida and whether or not Disney World would have to close for the sixth time since it opened 50 years ago, these islands are where the real devastation happened. Described as apocalyptic and catastrophic, they were stripped of vegetation and infrastructure was devastated. The unofficial estimate puts the loss at 90 per cent of homes, businesses and boats. With the threat of another hurricane looming, it took several days for aid to arrive. Now the fear is that the islands will be forgotten. As expats such as Voyage Yacht Charter’s captain Jonathan Moynihan start to evacuate, it’s with mixed feelings. “It’s devastating,” he says. “Without help, people are going to die.”

Moynihan doesn’t want to leave the island without trying to get word out. For the Meyers, every moment is focused on helping. They are part of a citizens’ navy of sorts, working on raising money, sending supplies, flying in medical teams and evacuating people.

Joining dozens of other hands-on efforts like SailorsHelping.org, the International Rescue Group (IRG) and local veterinarians as they work to assist the BVI’s recovery, the Meyers’ focus is on immediate relief.

An estimated 90 per cent of homes and businesses have been destroyed (Jonathan Moynihan)

For Brittany it means hours in front of the computer and on the phone trying to connect people and resources. “Things move very quickly, like, ‘There's a plane landing at 2pm, it has four empty seats.’ We try to get documents so people can evacuate.” Meanwhile, she says her husband Scott is on the ground in Puerto Rico. “I’m not actually sure what he’s doing. We haven’t had time to check in with each other.”

Scott’s days (and nights) are spent coordinating all the grass roots relief efforts; trying to get donated supplies loaded on volunteer transportation and then ensuring it reaches the people it’s intended for. The catastrophic destruction makes this trickier than you’d think, he says: “Today we were focused on delivering communication equipment like satellite phones and VHF radios to community leaders to re-establish distribution channels.”

The Meyers lost the yacht they lived on to the storm (Jonathan Moynihan)

While not everyone is able to load boats with supplies or arrange to help evacuees, the Meyers say there are lots of ways to help the islands. Right now the donations need to keep flowing – there’s an urgent need for food, water, cleanup equipment and building supplies.

Brittany is confident that if the people who love the islands come to their aid now, the strength and spirit of the islanders will persevere, “The British Virgin Islands are loved for a very good reason. We'll be back.”