Caribbean hurricanes named ‘Person of the Year’

The two hurricanes that ravaged the Caribbean in 2017 – Irma and Maria – have been named as Person of the Year by a prominent US-Caribbean magazine.

Everbody’s, owned by Grenadian Herman Hall, broke with it’s 40-year tradition and selected the “two mega category five hurricanes” – the first time for a natural phenomenon.

Previous holders of the the Person of the Year moniker include Dominica’s Dam Eugenia Charles, Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda – both former prime ministers – and Grenada’s Olympic gold medal sprinter Kirani James.

Hall said that “Maria and Irma may well have affirmed Atilla the Hun's classic calypso recorded in New York City in 1935, Woman Is Not The Weaker Sex and Denise Plumber's 1988 calypso Woman is Boss.

“Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Irma showed their male counterparts, Hurricanes Harvey, Lee, Jose and Bret, who is really the boss and the stronger sex,” he added.

The publisher said that events this year have shown that Caribbean governments can no longer rely on America to assist “eagerly and generously” in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria ripped through the northern Caribbean in September, devastating 12 countries. Many were left dead in its path, and infrastructure damage will cost the region billions of dollars.

Hall listed Usain Bolt’s final races and the US soccer team missing out on the FIFA World Cup following a loss to Trinidad and Tobago as among the major headlines within Caribbean communities during 2017.