Like the world was coming to an end

BBC News carries this story of the impact of Hurrican Ike on a British Overseas Territory in the West Indies. The story contains no reference to the predicted consequence of global warning that hurricanes will become more intense and more frequent. Perhaps such a statement might seem too political in such a tragic time.

The devastation on the island of Grand Turk is absolute.

Nothing has been left untouched by the sheer power of Hurricane Ike.

It made landfall as a category four storm and the damage is immense.

The streets are strewn with debris, palm trees have been shattered and 90% of the buildings have been damaged; some are simply no longer there.

"It was terrible, the whole earth was shaking, the house was rocking," said resident Austin Dickinson, who decided to ride the storm out.

"There was a point in time when I thought everything was going to crumble on us. The house was dancing from side to side, it was like the world was coming to an end."

...

But the infrastructure on the island has been almost entirely destroyed by the storm.

Power cables are strewn around like matchsticks, the courthouse is a tangled wreck and the islanders face months if not years of rebuilding their homes.

Roland Hull, a resident of the Turks and Caicos islands, moved here after visiting Grand Turk.

When he saw the extent of the damage the British Red Cross volunteer broke down in tears.

"I'm really upset to see the state its now in," said the former schools' inspector.