Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Six 20170908 : compareme

BBCNEWS BBC News At Six September 8, 2017

Addicted to strong painkillers. And the 13 Year Old Girl whose organs have been transplanted into a record eight people after her death. Englands cricketers dodge the rain at lords to eke out a slender lead in the deciding test against west indies. Good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. Hurricane irma has torn across the caribbean, leaving death and destruction in its wake. So far at least 19 people have been killed and more thani Million People affected. The massive storm, one of the most powerful Atlantic Hurricanes ever recorded, has passed through the turks and caicos, and haiti, after causing widespread damage in the British Virgin islands. Its forecast to pass between cuba and the bahamas tonight, before hitting the United States over the weekend. And theres another hurricane coming up behind irma in the atlantic. Jose has strengthened to a category four, driving winds of 125mph. Forecasters warn it could strengthen still further. Our correspondent laura bicker is the first journalist to reach barbuda. Already devastated by irma, the islanders are racing to evacuate before hurricanejose makes landfall. The island of barbuda was once a caribbean paradise. Now it is lost. Hurricane irma has reduced it to rubble. Homes are unrecognisable. The ruins lie scattered, torn and ripped apart. Having survived the worst storm in living memory, and knowing another is on the way, people are exhausted, hungry and just desperate to leave. Barbuda has just desperate to leave. Barbuda has just gone. What do you do now . I dont know, im just waiting to get evacuated from here and then im going to try and come back and try and salvage something and help. I dont know. My whole life is here, so. Dont know. My whole life is here, so. We are not coping, definitely not coping. Everybody will tell you the same, they are not coping. Everyone is in the same situation and nobody can help one another. We will get you off the island to safety a nd will get you off the island to safety and you will be taken care of. The Prime Minister has travelled from neighbouring antigua to provide some assurance. He knows it is a race against time before hurricane jose arrives in a few hours. We heard him haggling for every boat, helicopter or plane to help with the evacuation. Kanik land . But fear sta rts evacuation. Kanik land . But fear starts to spread that not everyone will get out in time. This woman has been told she does not have a place on the next boat. The sheer, horrifying scale of the devastation here means barely a building is salvageable. That means the whole island will have to be rebuilt, and the government has already admitted it simply doesnt have the money. The Prime Minister knows he will need to find funds from somewhere. We are hoping that friendly governments and International Partners will step up to the plate and assist us. They should not see this as a form of the Prime Minister and the people coming with a begging bowl, cap in hand. This is a disaster, a National Disaster of epic proportions, and we really need external assistance. This is not a want, it is a need. Fragments of peoples lives lie in ruins. They can only hope that one day they will once again call the island home, but for now they must leave by any means possible, including this barge. And they do not know when they will return. The first two of three raf flights has been sent to the caribbean as the government steps up the relief effort to the british overseas territories. A ship from the royal fleet auxilliary is now travelling to the British Virgin islands, where a state of emergency has been declared. Nick bryant is in the bahamas, which are facing storm surges of up to 20 feet. Nick, what are the preparations there . Fiona, the priority here is to evacuate those outlying smaller islands of this archipelago that are in the direct path of Hurricane Irma. Because in the past few minutes the Prime Minister of this country has been telling his people that the bahamas faces the same destructive wind, the same district of storm surge as that have caused such devastation elsewhere. The turks and caicos. The turks and caicos, where the palm trees that usually attract people to these islands reeled under the violent onslaught of Hurricane Irma. A storm people here had been tracking through satellite images, a monster hurricane that has looked terrifying from space. Now a horrifying, on the ground, reality. Picture postcard holiday destinations like the British Virgin islands, pummelled by 160mph winds. This uk territory has now declared a state of emergency. The bahamas is starting to be blasted. The only sightseeing this morning, from the relative safety of the balcony, watching the approaching storm. Old imperial buildings that have stood for centuries in this former british colony are braced and shuttered, preparing for the worst. Elton smith had onlyjust finished rebuilding his business from the last hurricane that caused such devastation less than a year ago. This is one of the worst storms in living memory, so you have to get as much together as you can and plan for the worst, hope for the best, you know. There are five low lying islands in this archipelago which the authorities are particularly concerned about, which is why the government here has ordered the biggest evacuation in the history of the bahamas. But there are fears already for people who have stayed behind, people who have defied those evacuation orders, people who believe they can ride out this storm. In hurricane hit saint martin, this Natural Disaster has been exacerbated by the man made problem of looting. Which is why, in the dutch part of this territory, the streets are being patrolled by troops who could be helping the relief operation. As for britain, it has a ship loaded with aid off the island of anguilla, but the uk aid effort has been criticised as too slow. Raf planes carrying equipment are now on their way. The constraint is about understanding the situation on the ground. What we dont want to do is rush in with the wrong kind of support, so from a Military Point of view, its very important we understand the effects of the hurricane, where is open to us, where can we get to safely, and that is what we have been doing over the past 2a hours. Now we are ready to make the right judgments about where we can most effectively deliver that aid. So far it is small caribbean islands like saint barts that have been hit and deluged, but all the time, irma is barrelling towards the american mainland, threatening destruction on a much larger scale. The governor of florida has warned its 20 million residents that they should all be prepared to evacuate in the face of Hurricane Irma, which is wider than the entire state. Around 500,000 people have already been ordered to leave their homes and the highways have been clogged with cars making their way out of the state. Our correspondent Aleem Maqbool reports from miami. They are now calling this one of the biggest Mass Evacuations in american history. The roads heading out of southern florida are clogged, fuel in short supply. This is a storm of absolutely historic destructive potential. I ask everyone in the storms path to be vigilant and to heed all recommendations from government officials and law enforcement. Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our people. At miamis airport, people scramble for the last chance to get out by air including british tourists. Were leaving today if we can. Basically most of the flights are sold out so were not even sure we can go. The worst Case Scenario that were going to get hit by a hurricane and its terrifying and were going to be stuck here for weeks, we felt a little bit lost. I had to purchase another ticket yesterday costing 8500 to go one way back to london and ive already paid once. So, im just hoping theyre going to get me on this plane. The area of miami normally packed with tourists is within the evacuation zone and has been left all, but abandoned. Its just extraordinary to see miamis iconic south beach as deserted as this, but it is an indication ofjust how seriously people here are taking the warnings, particularly having seen the type of destruction thats been wrought by this hurricane already. If they are coming here, its to fill pillowcases with sand to barricade their homes before irma hits. Donald trump himself will be affected. His florida resort, mar a lago, has been forced to close and is in the projected path of the storm. The National Guard has been deployed here. Theyre stockpiling commodities that could become scarce in the coming days like drinking water, but theyre also preparing for whats likely to be a massive rescue operation. Right across this state, theres a sense that time is running out to protect property and lives. Aleem maqbool, bbc news, in miami, florida. And as if the destruction in the caribbean wasnt bad enough, an earthquake has hit mexico, its being described as the worst there in a century. At least 32 people have been killed. It had a magnitude of eight and struckjust off the Pacific Coast to the south of the country. Buildings shook in the capital, mexico city, hundreds of miles away. The tremor is reported to have lasted about a minute. Sarah campbell has more. A Bowling Alley in chiapas, the closest state to the quakes epicentre. This is a country used to earthquakes, but not of that magnitude. 600 miles away, the tremors rocked mexico city. Frightened, some people preferred to stay outdoors. Many can still remember the earthquake of 1985 which was similar in magnitude, and which killed around 10,000 people. Translation it was horrible. I never felt anything so scary in my life. It was small at first, but then it started shaking a lot and it felt like we were getting thrown around. It was terrible. As pictures have emerged from the most severely hit areas, the death toll has continued to rise. The fear is there may be more shocks to come. Translation so far there have been 65 aftershocks. The strongest was magnitude 6. 1. However, its possible that over the next 2a hours we could see a shock thats as strong as the earthquake. In less than a minute, juchitans town hall was reduced to rubble and at least 17 of its citizens were killed. Daylight has revealed the extent of the devastation and the huge effort which will be required to rebuild. Sarah campbell, bbc news. The use of potentially addictive painkillers across england has doubled in the last 15 years, according to a leading health group. 50,000 patients were studied who were prescribed at least one of four types of potentially addictive drugs. Opioid painkillers, such as codeine and tramadol, were the most commonly prescribed. In 2015 they were issued to one patient in 20, double the rate in 2000. The length of time people are being prescribed opioid pain killers has also increased, from just over two months in 2000, to a peak of over three months in 2014. Our Health Correspondent Dominic Hughes has been meeting some of those whose lives have been shattered by a growing dependence on Prescription Drugs. Get your shirt out of the way. A few months before, i was this normal guy, working full time, with kids and a wife, and happy. And then all of a sudden, im basically a drug addict. A routine Prescription Drug led james to the brink of destruction. Well have a look at your urine test. Hes now getting help to deal with a crippling addiction to powerful opioid painkillers, commonly prescribed drugs like codeine, morphine or tramadol. James problems started with severe stomach aches. And the painkillers he was prescribed quickly stopped working. Desperate for pain relief, he was soon spending £400 a month on additional supplies from online pharmacies. He went from taking eight pills a day to 50, and almost before he knew it, his life had spiralled out of control. I thought it would be fine, i would be on the tablets short term. Before i knew it, i couldnt get off them. Forjames, the side effects were terrible. Headaches, nausea, constipation, and then a series of seizures he feared would end his life. It can ruin your life without you knowing, because i do believe that probably within a year if i had carried on taking the same amounts, or increasing, it probably would have killed me. Research in just a handful of gp practices injames town alone identified more than 100 people dependant upon painkillers. But responsibility for helping them falls between the nhs and local councils, and schemes like the one thatjames is on are rare. The key seems to be a better understanding of the nature of pain. Thats what they are trying in gloucestershire. Has anybody had pain today . Talking to doctors and pharmacists about pain management, as well as identifying and helping patients who are struggling. Most people with persistent pain will describe it as severe. No one should stop their medication before seeking the advice of their gp, but one of the countrys leading pain experts says it is clear that patients using opioid drugs for a long time are often getting little benefit but suffer all the side effects. Im not suggesting that somebody who is benefiting should have their drugs removed, but out of a population who are taking these drugs, the majority will not be benefiting, and those patients should be supported to come off their medicines. Playing jenga here at hergrandmas. Stevenjones knows just how devastating it can be when the use of opioid painkillers is not monitored closely. An accidental overdose killed his 24 year old daughter, sarah, after her use escalated dramatically. Stephen took the call from a paramedic. My heart just sank. I had never felt like that ever in my life. It was literally the worst day of my life, that. I hope i never have to go through it again. The children. No father expects to be at their childs funeral. Stephenjones talking to Dominic Hughes. Our top story this evening. There is an exodus from florida as the us braces for Hurricane Irma, and another hurricane is coming behind it. And still to come, the couple injured in the Manchester Arena bombing return for the first time ahead of its reopening. Coming up in sportsday on bbc news. Britains chris froome is on course for more history making, as the four time Tour De France champion is on the brink of winning the vuelta a espana. Young offenders from ethnic minorities will become the next generation of criminals, unless the Justice System is reformed. Thats according to a review by a labour mp, that recommends delaying or dropping some prosecutions. David lammys report highlights how 25 of the prison population in england and wales is from black asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. In the youth Justice System last year, that figure was 41 , compared to 14 of the general population. And for drug offences those from bame backgrounds were almost two and a half times more likely to be imprisoned. The government has said it will look carefully at the suggestions, as Elaine Dunkley reports. Hmp isis in south east london. There is no hope in the system, basically. There are more than 600 inmates. 70 of those behind bars are from an ethnic minority background. Not getting bail. Keep getting stopped and searched. Im black. According to todays review, the criminal Justice System is stacked against them. Looking at preconceptions, stuff like that. Stefan is serving six years for drug offences, but believes he is also being punished because of the colour of his skin. I have been in prison a while now. Ive met people the past when i first started my sentence, that got less time than me for a worse crime. Were saying drugs, but a lot worse than ive done, but they got a shorter sentence than i have. According to the lammy review, statistically the uk is worse than america when it comes to locking up people from ethnic minority backgrounds. When we are describing groups of young ethnic minorities, in particular black, the term gang is used. Swathes of young people who may not necessarily be serious gang members, they may be affiliated, loosely affiliated to a gang, they may live in a gang neighbourhood, they may have been incorrectly labelled with that term, end up receiving harsher sentences. At Brixton Police station, shaquille is taking part in a rehabilitation scheme called divert, which helps offenders find training and employment. You would be surprised. Im surprised that i have seen people of 11 and 12 selling weed on the street. He says poverty is the root cause. In certain places where you go to, people grow up with that mentality that they are on the battlefield. As a young person to get involved in crime isjust to better your circumstances. The review has more than 30 recommendations for change. Proposals include removing identifying information about ethnicity when cases are passed from police to prosecutors, so racial bias doesnt influence charging decisions. And not declaring criminal records for minor offences when applying forjobs. Im labelled 100 . If i go for a job and i show them my criminal history record, whatever, theyd be like, yeah, this person, we cant give him a job. The government says it is committed to making a fairer britain a reality. Reviews and recommendations are a start. Now actions are needed to reform the character and culture of parts of the criminalJustice System. Elaine dunkley, bbc news. Victims of the Manchester Arena attack have been back to the venue ahead of its reopening. They made a private visit ahead of the we are manchester benefit concert tomorrow the arenas first show since may, when 22 people were killed when a bomb was de

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