ALL SYSTEMS DOWN: Hurricane Maria disaster leaves Dominica uncontactable

Last updated: September 20, 2017 at 10:22 am

The Commonwealth of Dominica is in a state of emergency following the passage of Hurricane Maria.

The small island – with a population of just over 70,000 people – was hit overnight by the full force of the category five storm.

Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, took to Facebook for help in the early hours of the morning: “We will need help of all kinds… I am eager to solicit the support of friendly nations and organisations with helicopter services.”

Shortly following this message, the prime minister became uncontactable, his current whereabouts unknown, and the urgency to mobilise efforts on the ground has increased.

Dominica's attorney general, Levi Peter,  is in the United Kingdom at the moment.

In collaboration with the Dominica High Commission, he is mobilising emergency support in the Britain.

"We are asking all nations to help us rescue our communities. At the moment so little is known," he said.

"We are seeking the support of emergency relief organisations, whoever is available to get people on the ground so we can assess the damage.

"We thank Trinidad and Tobago who are currently mobilising help, but we need the support of our commonwealth brothers and sisters."

As a member country of the Commonwealth, Dominica is especially soliciting assistance from the United Kingdom in the nation's disaster recovery efforts.

Following her attendance at today’s United Nations General Assembly, the Consul General for Dominica in New York, Barbara Dailey, is attempting to enact an emergency response on a global scale

She is urging rapid help from nations, both neighbouring and further afield.

“Dominica is a small but great nation. And we need your help," she said.

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“The General Assembly is a forum for nations to connect on common grounds to resolve global crises.

“Dominica is faced with arguably it’s biggest crises right now – and we need all the support we can get.”

Individuals and businesses are being asked to visit DominiCARElief (www.dominicarelief.org) to lend their support, whether a monetary donation or otherwise, and the country is seeking assistance from nations around the world who can assist in recovery efforts.

Video footage has emerged from Senior Legal Counsel to the Prime Minister, Antony Astaphan, who shared his experience of the hurricane in the early hours of this morning.

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In 2013, the island sustained significant damage from Tropical Storm Erika. It is expected that damage to the island from Hurricane Maria will far exceed previous natural disasters.