Britain's fourteen overseas territories are under UK sovereignty and jurisdiction. They are self-governing but rely on the UK for defence, security and safety - including protection from natural disasters. As Hurricane Irma bombards the Caribbean, with at least fourteen deaths so far, several of these territories have been badly hit. Anguilla has been devastated, and the small island of Barbuda is ‘barely habitable’. A state of emergency has been declared in the British Virgin Islands. The first British military relief flight left RAF Brize Norton on 8 September, and one navy ship has arrived in the region, but a second might take two weeks to arrive. Theresa May said that the Government had responded ‘swiftly’ to the disaster, but others criticised the UK’s lack of preparedness, in contrast to the French who had military on the ground in St Martin, ready to help. See