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As Hurricane Irma Wipes Out 95% of Buildings on Barbuda, CIP Firms and De Niro Pledge Support

On Thursday, Hurricane Irma tore Barbuda asunder, leaving Antigua’s sister island – in the words of Prime Minister Gaston Browne – “barely habitable”. Now, citizenship planning firms, as well as Robert De Niro, pledge to support the island.

Most of Barbuda’s of 1,600 inhabitants are left homeless after Irma’s devastation and have been evacuated to Antigua in anticipation of the arrival of a second powerful storm, Jose, poised to hit the island today.

Barbuda residents being evacuated to Antigua hours before the impact of another tropical storm

Arton Capital pledged, in a press statement today, an initial US$ 50,000, as well as the proceeds from this year’s Global Citizen Forum.

“Like many people around the world we have felt the devastation in Barbuda caused by the hurricane,” said Armand Arton, founder and president of Arton Capital. “Our hearts go out to the people of Antigua and Barbuda, whose lives have been turned upside down by one of the most powerful hurricanes in history.”

Gaye Hechme, Managing Partner of Henley & Partners in Antigua & Barbuda, told Investment Migration Insider she will shortly be meeting with the Governor General, the Red Cross and the Halo Foundation to determine how best to be of assistance in the relief efforts. “The challenges are and will be immediate, medium and long term,” Hechme wrote in an email.

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Robert De Niro, Special Envoy of Antigua & Barbuda and investor in the Paradise Found Nobu Resort, has vowed to help rebuild the island, saying in a statement obtained by the New York Daily News that “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 team, the Barbuda Council, GOAB and the entire Barbuda community to successfully rebuild what nature has taken away from us.”

Investment Migration Insider will return with further information for those of our readers who wish to contribute to the Antigua & Barbuda government’s task force and relief efforts.

Image credit: BBC

Christian Henrik Nesheim AdministratorKeymaster

Christian Henrik Nesheim is the founder and editor of Investment Migration Insider, the #1 magazine – online or offline – for residency and citizenship by investment. He is an internationally recognized expert, speaker, documentary producer, and writer on the subject of investment migration, whose work is cited in the Economist, Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes, Newsweek, and Business Insider. Norwegian by birth, Christian has spent the last 16 years in the United States, China, Spain, and Portugal.

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