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Aerial photos of Hurricane Irma destruction

The islands of St. Martin and Barbuda were especially hard hit in the storm and officials there are continuing to assess the damage.

Irma delivered massive destruction to St. Martin, and at least eight people were killed and 21 more injured on the small island, according to French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb.

Although the airport was not destroyed, it is also not functional and support will have to be delivered via helicopter, Collomb said. He noted that 100,000 military emergency rations will be sent to the population.

One person was also killed in Barbuda on Wednesday. The island suffered near-total destruction, with 90 percent of its structures destroyed, according to Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne.

“I have to admit that I am now the bearer of bad news, in that I journeyed to Barbuda this afternoon and what I saw was heart wrenching. I mean, absolutely devastating,” Browne told state-owned ABS Television Radio on Wednesday. “In fact, I believe that on a per capita basis the extent of the destruction in Barbuda is unprecedented.”

Barbuda recorded the strongest winds of any island in the path of Irma, with 155 mph gusts measured Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, the U.S. Virgin Islands saw a wind gust of 131 mph on Buck Island north of St. Croix. (AP)

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