A potentially catastrophic storm is tearing through the Caribbean and putting thousands of children's lives in danger. Category 5 Hurricane Irma is one of the most dangerous natural phenomena the world has seen this year, pummelling communities with sustained wind speeds of up to 295 km/h.

"Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink," goes the famed line from the Coleridge poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. It's about a thirsty sailor aboard a becalmed ship in a giant, salty, undrinkable ocean, but it could just as easily apply to New Zealand's northern neighbours, blissfully ensconced in their lush green paradise, and dying for a drink.