Free concert on September 19th to commemorate the second anniversary of Hurricane Maria

Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica is commemorating the 2^nd anniversary of Hurricane Maria by organizing a free concert in the country. The concert is named as the “Celebration of Hope and Thanksgiving”. The event will take place on Thursday, September 19^th at Windsor Park sports stadium at 4 pm onwards.

The concert will have live performances by Rev Shirley Caesar, Kurt Carr, Ophelia Marie, Michele Henderson. There will also be dance performances by Sarah Ikumy.,Colton T and Mass Choir. The concert is free of any charges.

Besides this, the concert will also have the presence of various political dignitaries of the country.

On August 22^nd Prime Minister Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit had issued a press release and recalled the ravages caused by Hurricane Maria which struck the nature island in September 2017.

“All of us who lived through this experience know it wasn’t easy. We were left in a daze, and the seriousness of our circumstances in the wake of the passage of Hurricane Maria will forever be etched in our memories. She cut us off from our neighbors, took the lives of loved ones, decimated our valleys, scraped our hills and mountains naked, and left us bare and exposed,” he said. “Each of us who survived this life-changing experience has a story… Despite everything, we emerged from this horrifying experience together, and through God’s mercy and guidance, we are alive to see each other’s faces today.”

In addition to this, PM Skerrit also said that the event will be sober but with thanksgiving in words, songs, and dance. “It will be a watershed day in the lives of Dominicans, as together, we shall reflect on the pain and destruction inflicted by Maria on our country, and take a critical look at the results of two years of sure and steady progress,” PM asserted.

Hurricane Maria

Hurricane Maria made landfall on the southwest coast of Dominica at 9:35 pm on 18 September as a Category 5 hurricane, with 160 mph wind speed and higher gusts. The hurricane-force resulted in intense storm surges, torrential downpour, overflowing raging rivers, and extremely high winds across the island left 31 people dead, 37 missing. 65,000 people, around 80% of the population, were directly affected and more than 90% of roofs were damaged or destroyed while power and water supplies were disrupted, and entire crops destroyed.