Dominica Recovers PM says in CDEMA update
Declaration of Special Disaster Areas
The Government of Dominica has declared nine (9) Special Disaster Areas. These are:
- Petite Savanne
- Pichelin
- Good Hope
- Bath Estate (Paradise Valley)
- Dubique
- Campbell
- Coulibistrie
- San Sauveur
- Petite Soufriere
The Government has reported that search and rescue was conducted in the affected areas. Access to a number of communities has been restored and injured persons have been airlifted to the Princess Margaret Hospital. Support is being organised to secure transportation via sea for coastal communities.
Casualties
Dead and Missing
As of August 28, 2015, twenty persons have been confirmed dead and several others are reported missing (source Prime Minister’s briefing). The Government has also reported 574 persons are homeless, 300 evacuated and 267 in shelters.
Infrastructure
- To date 48 houses have been reported as destroyed, and 84 damaged
- Communications have been significantly hampered
- Major damage to roadways and bridges has resulted in communities being cut off.
- Most of the west coast is reachable up to Roseau to Mero, Roseau to Champaigne and Loubiere to Bellevue in the South, South West and from Roseau through Antrim to Pond Casse through Formel to Castle Bruce through Kalinago Territory to Marigot through to Portsmouth.
Ports of entry
Melville Hall airports suffered damage and remain closed to commercial flights.
The Canefield airport is operational for helicopter and small aircraft use.
All sea ports remain functional and open.
Dominica Recovers – agricultural took a beating
Written by Ken Richards for WINNFM: St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda are among OECS states worried that agricultural produce carried by Dominican hucksters on a weekly basis to Basseterre and St John’s may be temporarily stopped because of the impact of Tropical Storm Erika on Dominica.
One of the federation’s former agriculture ministers – Cedric Liburd, says the development will very likely affect St Kitts and Nevis.
“Some of their produce we don’t grow here in St Kitts and Nevis so we always welcome that,” Liburd told Winn FM’s The Bigger Picture.
“If the storm has affected the crop industry in Dominica it will definitely have an impact on our agriculture here and for the vendors here in St Kitts and Nevis,” the former minister for agriculture said.
A reminder was given earlier by an Antiguan resident that the beating Dominica took from Erika will impact on Antigua and Barbuda and St Kitts and Nevis, among others.
“We will feel the effect that happened over in Dominica over here greatly … you can virtually say Dominica feeds us because Dominica boat come here every week with their agricultural produce,” he told Observer Radio in St John’s, warning that there is likely to be a shortage of agricultural produce in Antigua in a couple of weeks.
The federation’s Prime Minister Timothy Harris says St Kitts and Nevis is also concerned about the situation.
“Our agriculture has been seasonal”, Dr Harris said while conceding that St Kitts and Nevis has had to rely on Dominica for some products including bananas.
Officials in Antigua and Barbuda fear that the devastation will have spillover effects for St John’s with a shortage of Dominican produce anticipated.
