Just a day after Hurricane Irma swept through the tiny island of Barbuda, officials say that 90 percent of the island has been destroyed, leaving one person dead.
According to ABC News, the hurricane hit Barbuda, part of Antigua and Barbuda, with 185 mph winds, and the island nation’s prime minister, Gaston Browne, said that Barbuda was “barely habitable” and the damage “unprecedented,” with parts of it underwater.
But there’s at least one person who is willing to step in to help rebuild the island, even if it’s only because he has a vested interest. In a statement to People magazine, Robert De Niro, who is a principal in the Paradise Found Nobu Resort with James Packer (Mariah Carey’s ex) in Barbuda, vowed to help the island in the rebuilding process.
“We are beyond saddened to learn of the devastation in Barbuda caused from Hurricane Irma and look forward to working with the Paradise Found Nobu Resort team, the Barbuda Council, GOAB and the entire Barbuda community to successfully rebuild what nature has taken away from us,” the statement by De Niro read.
The United Nations estimates that up to 37 million people could be affected by the Category 5 hurricane.