Survivors of the two recent devastating hurricanes in the Caribbean gave heartfelt performances in Barbados last weekend at the I Am Caribbean Benefit Concert.
After the show at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, both Dominican Michelle Henderson and Antiguan-born Art Drastic Philip recounted to the SATURDAY SUN their horrific experiences.
Drastic and Henderson rode out Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, respectively, last month and they are thanking God for allowing them to live to sing another day.
In 2014, Henderson won a competition and her song, Celebrating CARICOM, was selected as the official anthem for the body. But since Dominica was hit, she has been travelling to other territories to generate awareness of their cause.
Henderson, who lives on the south in Grand Bay, said after securing her animals, she had to board up the windows and weather the storm in her basement apartment.
Though she emerged unscathed from Hurricane Maria, others in her family did not.
“My husband and I lost two nieces, so the hardest part is reconciling with the fact that they are no longer there and having to move on. So it’s tough because there was a lot of loss of life,” she said.
By using her gifts, she hopes to let people know that the country is still in need of assistance.
“It’s a bit of a crisis situation but we are doing what we can now to survive. Neighbours are doing what they can to help out but we are going to need a lot of help.
“But people are tough; Hurricane David came through in 1979 and did pretty much the same thing but I expect people to rally around each other,” she added.
Though Drastic, who was the second runner-up in the British Virgin Islands soca competition, did not lose any relatives, his experience was no less terrifying. At the show he performed My Philosophy and Oye.
He is the husband of 2010’s Sheroma Brass.Angel Hodge-Philip and father of two-year-old Aiden.
“I survived Hurricane Lewis when I was ten years old in Antigua and Irma made that look like a baby. The only thing on my mind was keeping my family alive,” the musician said.
In the midst of the hurricane, he said they had to deal with tornadoes, tsunamis and even a tremor.
“We were downstairs in our apartment but after a while we realised we could not stay there, so then when the eye came we ran into the pantry with the landlord and her niece to wait it out,” he said.
However, he said the worst was yet to come: houses were flattened, cars were tossed, food and water were in short supply, and looting was rampant. He recalled not having communication for days and missing a helicopter ride out of the island.
“There was signal on the West Side and once I picked it up I was flooded with messages and one of them was from an agent who was trying to send me by helicopter. But he couldn’t get clearance to land because of how bad things were.
“But then one day when I was on the West Side he sent me a message telling me around 4 p.m. I had to get to the airport for 5. So I had to drive like a madman to get my son, who was at his grandmother. There was debris everywhere; it was like a movie. It was thrilling – I can’t lie. But I’m grateful I survived,” he added.
After living in Tortola for about three years, he and his family were in Antigua for a fresh start. (TG)
