Irma brings death, destruction to Caribbean

At least 34 people died in Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean as Hurricane Irma blew through last week and into the weekend. The islands of Barbuda, Anguilla, and St. Martin reported what was then a Category 5 storm damaged 70 to 90 percent of their buildings. Foreign governments scrambled Monday to dispatch aid to the Leeward Islands and other hard-hit areas. Britain sent a navy ship and almost 500 troops to help people on the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, and Turks and Caicos. The U.S. government said it was sending a flight Monday to evacuate its citizens from St. Martin. Evacuees were warned to expect long lines and no running water at the airport. A French military ship was scheduled to arrive in St. Martin on Tuesday with materials to build temporary housing, and French President Emmanuel Macron also planned to visit the island to bring aid and respond to criticism that he didn’t do enough to help in the storm’s aftermath.