India, Oct. 18 -- In September 2017, Hurricane Irma tore through homes on the Caribbean island of Barbuda. According to TIME's on-the-ground report by Tara John, the island's entire population of around 1,800 people was evacuated to its sister island, Antigua. Barbuda was empty save for a dozen army officers. Pets and farm animals were left behind without their owners.

Irma was a Category 5 storm. Its record-breaking winds flattened much of the island. The evacuation came days after Irma struck and just hours before Hurricane Jose was predicted to make landfall on the island on September 9. Cats, dogs, and herds of livestock were left without owners. Among them were hundreds of dogs, and soon hunger became a serious problem. Fences and p...