200+ medical students evacuated from Caribbean medical schools after Hurricane Irma: 6 things to know

More than 200 U.S. students attending the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in St. Maarten were evacuated during the past three days after Hurricane Irma barreled through the islands last week, according to WGN-TV.

Here are six things to know about the evacuation.

1. University administrators told CBS Chicago Monday the Category 5 storm stranded 500 U.S. students, faculty and staff on St. Maarten. The U.S. military evacuated roughly half of those individuals by Monday evening.

2. Students reportedly took shelter in various buildings on the campus during the storm. However, supplies quickly began running low and there was no plumbing in the days after, according to CBS New York.

3. A first-year medical student at the university told WGN-TV students created a makeshift hospital to treat approximately 100 patients injured during the storm.

4. Roughly 30 Canadian students attending the university took refuge in a classroom for nearly one week before being evacuated, CBC News reports. Some members of the group reportedly took to social media to criticize the Canadian government's slow response to evacuate those trapped on the island, according to the report.

5. Administrators told CBS Chicago due to damage left by the hurricane, some students will continue their medical studies at AUC's sister school, Downers Grove, Ill.-based DeVry University.

6. Approximately 6,000 Americans were stranded on the island. More than 1,200 individuals were evacuated Sunday, according to CBS Chicago.

 

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