Dominica receives second batch of supplies

“The island of Dominica has received a second shipment of emergency relief supplies from Suriname,” Jerry Slijngaard, manager at the National Coordination Center for Disaster Control (NCCR), told Times of Suriname. He explained that 5 tons of goods were flown to the residents of Dominica. The goods that were donated by the Surinamese business community were transported to the Caribbean island on Tuesday and Thursday. A plane from Fly Allways flew the load to Antigua after which a smaller plane transported the goods to Dominica. At the end of September the Surinamese government sent aid to Dominica which had been hit by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. Hurricane Maria, a category 5 storm, destroyed properties, silenced communications and cut power and running water in the city of more than 16,000 people Days after it was hit by Hurricane Irma, Dominica was ravaged by the most powerful storm in its history. Many buildings were completely destroyed and virtually none were left untouched. Officials put the death toll from Hurricane Maria at 27, and more than 50 people remain missing. With the sheer scale of the devastation hampering relief efforts, officials believe the recovery process will take several years and billions of dollars. Regional disaster management and relief authorities have predicted it will cost the island billions of dollars and several years to recover from the devastation wrought by the two hurricanes. Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has thanked members of the regional and international community that have so far come to the aid of his island. Skerrit told a news conference that he was pleased with the regional and international response to the disaster that has left millions of dollars in damage and more than 50 per cent of all housing structures significantly damaged.