‘Urgency’ for food and water in Dominica, says UN official

A United Nations disaster assessment official said that food and water are the most immediate needs for the country, which was battered by the category five Hurricane Maria last week.

“There is a big, big urgency to get water and food,” said Sergio da Silva, UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team leader, speaking after he visited the island.

Road access is getting better in many parts of the island, and telecommunication companies have drafted in addition personnel to get contact up and running.

“And when you fly over, you see all the trees are down… debris everywhere and people are homeless,” da Silva added.

Created in 1993, UNDAC is designed to help the UN and governments of disaster-affected countries during the first phase of a sudden-onset emergency.

Maria made landfall on the tiny island of 72,000 on the evening of 18 September, with maximum sustained winds of nearly 160 miles per hour.