Hurricanes Irma and Maria

Potential impacts of Hurricane Maria, as well as the severe destruction caused by Hurricane Irma, are making it difficult to assist Canadians stranded in the affected areas. Transportation routes, power and telecommunications systems, have been heavily damaged, and, in some areas, destroyed. Emergency and medical care, and water and food delivery have also been severely affected. Canada’s diplomatic missions continue to liaise with local authorities, airlines, and tour operators to determine how to further help affected Canadians.

Canadians requiring assistance are asked to submit the following information to sos@international.gc.ca.

We encourage Canadians to stay connected to the Travel Advice and Advisories at Travel.gc.ca, or by subscribing to our RSS feeds. Canadians can also follow us on Twitter @TravelGoC or find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/travelGoC.

Over 9,000 Canadians were registered with the Registration of Canadians Abroad Service in the region affected by Hurricane Irma, while over 5,100 Canadians are currently registered in the potentially affected areas. However, these numbers provide only an estimate of Canadians in the region as registration is voluntary.

To date, the Emergency Watch and Response Centre has processed over 4000 calls and emails related to the hurricanes.

Canada’s diplomatic missions continue to liaise with local authorities, airlines, and tour operators to determine how to further help affected Canadians.

The Government of Canada is in close contact with all of its humanitarian partners in the region, and already funds a range of tools to respond to humanitarian emergencies such as Hurricane Irma. GAC is also in contact with other donors to coordinate the humanitarian response and limit any duplications or gaps.

Proactive communications with Canadians

On September 3, Global Affairs Canada’s Travel Advice and Advisories were updated for seven Caribbean destinations, warning travellers to “avoid non-essential travel” due to weather conditions. Besides updated info on travel.gc.ca, 14 messages were sent from Travel.gc.ca social media accounts.

On September 4, three additional destinations received the same level of warning, and social media messages were sent accordingly.

On September 5, the warning level was raised to "avoid all travel" for these destinations: Antigua and Barbuda; Anguilla; Montserrat; St. Kitts and Nevis; Saba, St. Eustatius, and Sint Maarten; Saint Martin; St Barthelemy; Guadeloupe; British Virgin Islands; U.S. Virgin Islands; Puerto Rico, Vieques, and Culebra.

Between September 3 and today, available information has been shared on a regular basis on Twitter and Facebook, with approximately 700 posts.

Furthermore, over 110 ROCA messages have been sent to Canadians registered on Global Affairs’ registration service for the affected destinations, including Florida.

Global Affairs Canada still advises against all travel in several Caribbean destinations. Please check the Travel Advice and Advisories for the latest updates.

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