Dominica a land ‘brutalised’ – reflection on the fury of a hurricane

By Michelle Nurse On Sep 25, 2017

Dominica Hurricane Maria damage downtown buildings (OECS) By Peter Richards

(CMC) – When I lived in Dominica, nearly two decades ago, it would take me at least 15 minutes to walk from the capital, Roseau, to Loubiere in the south.

Yesterday, it took me nearly two hours. I had no choice. Transportation was impossible given the widespread disaster that Hurricane Maria brought to this Caribbean Community (CARICOM) island that was just emerging from the ravages of Tropical Storm Erika two years ago.

Unofficially, the death toll from Monday’s hurricane that, in the words of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit “brutalised” the island, is as high as 60, depending on who you meet. But, so far, the official death toll is 28. The figures vary because the authorities have not been able to visit some of the villages that were hit by the storm with winds in excess of 180 miles an hour.

As I joined in the exodus of people making the daily walk to Loubiere and other villages such as Point Michel, Grand Bay, Bagatelle, Petite Savanne and Soufriere, among others, the talk centred on many people who were killed on Monday night and have since been buried.