ShelterBox team arrives in hurricane-hit Caribbean

ShelterBox said there was "a huge amount of destruction across a very wide area"

An emergency response team from a Cornish charity has arrived in the Caribbean after a hurricane left people homeless and caused widespread damage.

Hurricane Beryl killed at least eight people, destroyed homes and left millions of people without power in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, St Lucia and the southern United States.

With maximum sustained wind speeds of more than 160mph (257km/h), the hurricane, which hit earlier in July, became the earliest category five Atlantic hurricane in records going back about 100 years.

Emergency response manager Dave Raybould, leading the ShelterBox team deployed to Barbados, said there was "a huge amount of destruction across a very wide area".

“We’re in Barbados because although it has been affected by the hurricane, it isn’t as bad here as other nearby islands and so this is where a lot of the aid efforts are being co-ordinated."

He said the humanitarian response "will span nations and borders".

“Logistically, it’s going to be very challenging, but we have worked in the region before and have a pretty good idea of what we’re facing.”

Houses, roads and crops have been destroyed which has made it harder for people to access food, water, and shelter, the charity said.

The team has emergency shelters and solar lighting to help those affected.