Hurricane Maria ruins Dominica
‘Widespread devastation’ caused by Category 5 storm
THE PRIME Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, said yesterday his nation has been devastated by Hurricane Maria. He said reports were indicative of “widespread devastation”. “We have lost all that money can buy and replace”.
But, he said his greatest fear was waking up to the “news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains”.
He said the true extent of the devastation would be revealed when the onslaught of Category 5 Maria subsides.
Earlier, the premier had to be rescued when the hurricane bore down on the island. Skerrit posted to his Facebook account that the roof of his house had been blown off and his home was being flooded.
“The winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to, or made contact with. The roof of my official residence was among the first to go, and this apparently triggered an avalanche of torn-away roofs in the city and countryside.
“It is too early to speak of the condition of the air and seaports.”
He feared they would be inoperative for a few days. “I am eager to solicit the support of friendly nations and organisations with helicopter services.”
“Please let the world know Dominica has been devastated. We do not know how many are dead, if any. We shall know in the morning.”
Hurricane Maria made landfall on the island on Monday, packing winds of over 260km/h. It is the first time Dominica has been hit by a Category 5. In 1979, Hurricane David struck as a Category 4 storm; 56 people died and three-quarters of the population were left homeless.
There has been no news of casualties so far – but Inspector Pellam Jno Baptiste said it was still too dangerous for police officers to make a full assessment as the storm raged outside. “Where we are, we can’t move,” he said.
A caller on the national DBS Radio Dominica said the Princess Margaret Hospital’s “roof is gone and the generator has failed so it is in total darkness… this is bad”.
The US-based National Hurricane Centre has warned “Maria is developing the dreaded pinhole eye”, a sign of an extremely strong hurricane likely to get even mightier, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.
The hurricane was upgraded to a major Category 5 storm as it closed in on the Leeward islands.
Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are all in its cross-hairs.
Maria is following a path similar to Hurricane Irma.