ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has arrived in Barbuda as part of a tour to two hurricane battered Caribbean countries.

Guterres, accompanied by Prime Minister Gaston Browne and several other government and United Nations officials, will tour the island that was devastated by Hurricane Irma last month.

Prime Minister Browne had declared Barbuda “uninhabitable” and is hoping that the visit by the UN Secretary General will help spur support for the re-development of the island with a population of less than 2,000. Browne had said hundreds of millions of dollars would be needed for the exercise.

Browne welcomed the visit of the UN official saying it would ”bring global awareness to the destruction that has taken place here in the Caribbean”.

Guterres, said that it is clear that the natural disasters have intensified in recent days, making reference to the passage also of the tropical storm Nate that killed several people in Central America this week.

“It is clear there is a direct link between climate change and the intensity of these storms,” he said, adding “what we are witnessing these days are more intensity and more destruction”.

The Antigua and Barbuda government recently lifted a ban on citizens residing there following the Category 5 storm that was also blamed for the death of a two-year-old child.

The government recently lifted a ban on citizens residing there following the Category 5 storm that was also blamed for the death of a two-year-old child.

Guterres, who is expected to hold a joint news conference with Browne on their return to Antigua, is also due to visit Dominica on Sunday, where Hurricane Maria left at least 28 people dead, 32 missing and damage estimated at billions of dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents).