News

Here at CLAHRC Wessex it's been a tense wait to hear if intern Lavelle Niles and her family are safe after Hurricane Irma devastated homes on the Island of Anguilla.

We got confirmation last night in an email that they are safe, which is a huge relief and Lavelle expressed her thanks to those who are thinking of her and her fellow Anguillans. She added that conditions are bad, and that she wasn't sure when she would be able to return to her studies at the University of Southampton. The airports and port are still closed to commercial flights and shipping.

Lavelle is an undergraduate with the University but has been supported with her work and research by Professor Anne Rogers, Director of NIHR CLAHRC Wessex. Lavelle has been working on examining the support given to young carers - to read more about her work you can read her blog post

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has been visiting the island today, and the British Government has promised £32 million to help with the emergency. Estimates for the repairs from the island's chief minister are said to be around £1 billion.

The Red Cross has launched an appeal for donations to help the effected islands that were devastated by the hurricane.