On the morning of September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma struck the small island of Barbuda. This affected the well-being, homes, livelihood, health, electricity, and any other thing you can think of. Today, that same Island country has been rebuilt and it has retained its spot as one of the most toured countries on earth.

Ambassador Dario Item: “Thank you for having me. Honestly, hurricane Irma is the worst thing I have seen in my life. I pray the next generation and the generations to come do not see a thing like that. I was living in Antigua and Barbuda at the time Hurricane Irma struck and anytime the memory of the debris and destruction comes back, it hurts like it just happened.”

Ambassador Dario Item: “Official records state that 95% of Barbuda was damaged. But I think the records should add the missing 5%. Honestly, everything was destroyed in Barbuda. Imagine the condition of whatever survived 95% destruction. Whatever it is, that thing should be as good as dead. The entire Island was empty for the first time in history. Unfortunately, we also lost 3 people which is a great number compared to our population. In total, we lost properties worth $150 million. Thankfully, hurricane Irma relatively caused fewer damages to our twin Island, Antigua.”

Ambassador Dario Item: “I will say unity was our strength. Antigua and Barbuda became a stronger nation during and after hurricane Irma. Every single resident of Barbuda moved to Antigua during the disaster. After the disaster, we came together to rebuild our homes, cleaned up our waters, revived our electricity, and gradually we restarted our normal lives. We did not end there. We also ensured that our Island is beautiful enough to welcome visitors around the world. Today there is very little or no sign that we were once homeless.”

Briefly, Ambassador Item. How beautiful are Antigua and Barbuda today?

Ambassador Dario Item: “Apart from the records, there is almost no evidence that Antigua and Barbuda experienced hurricane Irma just 4 years ago. We have moved on, we have rebuilt our country and we have retained our spot as one of the most visited Island countries in the world.”

Ambassador Dario Item: “Seeing how beautiful our country is today, I have forgiven her. But I appeal to her never to return to our country.”

Ambassador Dario Item: “We will talk about that some other time.”

Ambassador Dario Item: Thank you and have a nice day.

Antigua and Barbuda is a nation that refused to be bullied by category 5 hurricanes, a country that came out stronger after a disaster. Will you love to see how beautiful Antigua and Barbuda are just four years after hurricane Irma struck the nation? Why not give it a shot? The beauty of the country will teach so many things. But one lesson that will stand out is that no matter the storm if you are determined, you will come out stronger. See you in Antigua and Barbuda.