A British husband bought a home in the Caribbean to start a new life with his pregnant wife and children – only for hurricane Irma to wipe it out four days later.
Kyrie Caulfield, originally from London, had only just moved to his ‘dream’ house at Cane Garden Bay on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
But just days later, Hurricane Irma laid waste to the island with destructive 185mph winds, leaving the couple’s new home in ruins.
Destruction: Kyrie Caulfield bought a home in the Caribbean and moved there with his pregnant wife and children – only for hurricane Irma to wipe it out four days later. Footage shows how the storm destroyed the kitchen (left) and front wall (right)
Kyrie Caulfield (left), originally from London, had only just moved to his ‘dream’ house at Cane Garden Bay on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. But it was left in ruins (right) after Irma hit
Mr Caulfield later captured video of the devastation with footage showing the roof and walls missing.
He said: ‘Last Friday I bought the house of my dreams in what I think is the most beautiful place in the world in Cane Garden Bay, Tortola,’ he said.
‘Life’s absolutely perfect then on Wednesday, five days later, we got a little bit of inclement weather and then this happened.’
Mr Caulfield films debris strewn around the house as he gives a video tour of the ravaged property.
The footage shows how the front of the building, facing the sea, has been blown off completely. But he also points out how a glass jar had remained up right and unbroken during the chaos.
Hurricane Irma laid waste to the island with destructive 185mph winds, leaving the couple’s new home in ruins. Footage shows how the powerful gusts destroyed the property’s front wall
Mr Caulfield captured video the devastation with footage showing the roof and walls missing
Mr Caulfield, who holds a can of beer while filming, joked: ‘Lovely view, did want to chop that tree down anyway. Oh well, it could be worse… I might not have found all of the Guinness.’
The Briton moved to the British Virgin Islands eight years ago to teach scuba diving but had only recently moved into the home.
Tortola was left devastated after being hit by the most powerful hurricane ever to hit the Atlantic.
Yesterday it emerged that more than 100 high-risk prisoners had escaped in the British Virgin Islands during Irma.
British junior foreign minister Alan Duncan said: ‘We had a serious threat of a complete breakdown of law and order in the British Virgin islands (BVI). The prison was breached, over 100 very serious prisoners escaped.’
Duncan said Royal Marines were deployed to cope with the threat but did not disclose how many prisoners had been recovered or how many were still at large.
Mr Caulfield had moved to the home at Cane Garden Bay (pictured) after finding his ‘dream’ home
‘We have maintained and kept law and order on the BVI, which at one point, could have dramatically threatened the already unfortunate plight of those who had been hit by the hurricane,’ he said.
Notes from a cabinet meeting that were leaked to the press on Tuesday suggested dozens had yet to be recaptured.
‘We are working with St Lucia and BVI authorities to secure the transfer to St Lucia of 40 high-risk prisoners that have escaped in BVI,’ the briefing notes were reported as saying.
Tortola was left devastated after being hit by the most powerful hurricane ever to hit the Atlantic
Duncan said a total of nine people died in British Caribbean territories – five in the BVI and four in Anguilla. The authorities had previously reported one person killed in Anguilla.
Britain’s response to Irma has been criticised by some local inhabitants as too slow with some complaining about a breakdown of law and order and being left to fend for themselves.
Briton Claudia Knight said her partner Leo Whitting, 38, was stranded on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands archipelago.
‘Everyone’s turned feral and no-one’s going out without being armed… It’s turning really nasty,’ she told the Press Association news agency.
‘Leo carries a knife with him,’ she said.
But Duncan said he ‘wholeheartedly and comprehensively reject the criticism’.
‘I think they are unjustified,’ he added.