(CNN)When Hurricane Irma ravaged the island of Barbuda in the Caribbean, the ferocious storm "extinguished" the isle's way of life and left the beautiful spot "uninhabitable." And, now, for the first time in a few centuries, no one lives there.
"The damage is complete," Ronald Sanders, the Antigua and Barbuda ambassador to the United States, told Public Radio International. "It's a humanitarian disaster."

"For the first time in 300 years, there's not a single living person on the island of Barbuda -- a civilization that has existed in that island for close to, over 300 years has now been extinguished."

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When the storm hit, Antigua received minimal damage but the storm obliterated Barbuda's infrastructure, flattening structure after structure. At least one death was reported. Rescuers evacuated residents to Antigua and a state of emergency has been declared.
"We've tried to make living accommodations as good as humanly possible in these circumstances. Fortunately, we had planned ahead for this hurricane, and we had ordered supplies in from Miami and the United States before the hurricane hit," Sanders told PRI.
He told CNN about 1,700 people were evacuated from Barbuda to Antigua and said others went to Antigua on their own.

The living conditions aren't perfect and they can be "cramped," he said. But the evacuees are safe and the young people from Barbuda will be going to school in Antigua, for the time being.
"It's government facilities in which they are being located. We've opened some others. We've taken a nursing home for instance and converted that into accommodation and Antiguans have been very generous in opening their homes to some of the Barbudans, particularly those with young children," he told PRI.
The government believes that while some Barbudans might choose to stay in Antigua even after their island is rebuilt, many will want to go home.
It's a small island, 62 square miles, and its residents have a strong sense of belonging. That's where their ancestors are buried, Sanders said.

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Rebuilding
Prominent voices, such as actor Robert de Niro, are urging help for the island. Wealthy individuals have made donations that add up to around $5 million or more and countries have come forward with immediate relief.
The country is thankful for the help but Sanders notes that a few million dollars is a "drop in the bucket." A massive effort is required, he told CNN.
"We're a $1 billion economy facing a $250 million problem," he said. "We need to look at how we get this island back into shape."
He can't give a timetable for any of the steps to rebuild. It all depends on how much funding the country can raise.
The first thing to do now is clean up so construction can start on buildings strong enough to withstand hurricanes.
"The island is not exactly safe for anything to happen," he told CNN, saying it is filled with dead animals, water flies and rubbish everywhere.
Electricity must be re-established and water needs to flow again.
Antigua and Barbuda is in a different situation from other hard-hit Caribbean islands that are territories of larger and richer nations that can step in to help rebuild: the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands, for example.
"Antigua is a tiny place, and we have no godfather," Sanders told CNN.
Officials are envisioning assembling a donors conference, he said, where international agencies and nations would plan a rebuilding initiative.
He said it makes sense for larger industrial nations to help out his small and pristine country because of climate change.
"We are the victims of greenhouse gases. We contribute little to pollution," he told CNN. "We are hoping our neighboring countries can respond."

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