The Storms in America and What It Means for Traveling Brits

Hurricane Irma has come and gone but other hurricanes are not far behind. As the American continent and the Caribbean Islands keep getting hit by multiple storms, one after the other, it may not be the best place for anyone to visit right now. Just in case you do have plans to travel anywhere near the storm-ravaged areas in the near future, you need to consider the following points. Also, there are other storms like Maria and Jose to worry about as well, so it makes sense to be aware of the advice as mentioned below.

Affected Areas

The first useful thing to know is if you are going to be anywhere near the affected areas during your travels. Hurricane Irma has affected Cuba and Puerto Rico, Cape Verde, The Bahamas, Leeward Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Eastern United States (Florida in particular). The Category 5 Hurricane Maria is a more immediate threat now and it has already devastated the island of Dominica while the Puerto Rican people are now living completely without electricity on the island. Other affected areas include the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, and Anguilla. Areas that are still in danger include Antigua, St Eustatius and Saba, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbuda, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, St Vincent and the Grenadines. Hurricane Jose, which at this point is being classified as a tropical storm, should affect New York City and nearby regions, but as it’s only a category 1 storm, it is not expected to be as threatening as the other two.


While most people worry about the immediate effects of a devastating storm, its long-term effects can be even more deadly. For example, the Texas Gulf Coast has been flooded with carcinogenic pollutants from oil refineries and chemical plants while 28 million gallons of sewage has been dumped across the state of Florida, creating ideal breeding grounds for diseases such as E. coli, hepatitis A, and Salmonella among others. As one can imagine, the Central American countries, which are infamous for diseases such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and typhoid are now even more dangerous to unvaccinated travellers. When considering how will Hurricane Irma affect holiday travel, look at travel vaccinations for Central America before heading over to any of the nations in the region.

Future Storms

Apart from the devastation brought in by the three biggest hurricanes of the season (Harvey, Irma, and Maria), the latest weather reports indicate that a new tropical disturbance has started to show signs of forming into a storm from September 22. The storm is lying off the U.S. East Coast in the Atlantic Ocean, but if it does indeed turn into a full-blown storm, it will happen in the course of the coming week.

The good news for Brits is the fact that the worst is over and as the weeks pass by, the weather will definitely clear up for the remainder of the year. As long as you are careful about selecting your travel routes and you take the necessary precautions, things should be fine.