BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – PRIME MINISTER of Dominica, the Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit has sought help from nationals of his country who are residing in Antigua to rebuild the island which was left in ruins following the passage of Hurricane Maria.
Addressing over 100 nationals in St. John’s, Antigua yesterday (Sept. 21), PM Skerrit told them that he is hopeful for the people of Dominica and the rebuilding process of the island.
Images and videos coming out of the island show a nation in total devastation, with roofs down, collapsed buildings, dangling power lines and uprooted trees, among other sad scenes.
Skerrit, who posted on his Facebook page that his roof was ripped off during the passage of the Category 5 storm, told the gathering that the island was on the brink of returning to its pre-Hurricane Erica position, until it was hit by Hurricane Maria.
He recounted that there was little escape for the people of the island as the major storm made landfall.
The PM said he was told that people’s roofs went and they had to be rescued by neighbours, whose roofs were subsequently torn off – leaving many to the mercy of the elements.
“The good thing about this is that majority of the Dominicans heeded the Government’s warnings, because I kept being on the radio and television every single hour pleading with people to let us take this hurricane seriously.
“And fortunately, many took this and went into shelters and most of the shelters withstood the hurricane.”
Lamenting that the hurricane had no political affiliation, religious inclination or class, PM Skerrit noted that “every single person has been impacted by this hurricane. And therefore it is a message to all of us, with no exception, the need for us to work together to build our country”.
Stressing that it is all about the country, Skerrit said it is time to be “positive, hopeful and united” in their efforts to rebuild a more resilient nation.
Reports coming out of the island pointed to at least 27 confirmed deaths related to Hurricane Maria.
Currently, the island is still without power as crews are working assiduously to restore electricity to the residents.
Meanwhile, communication into and out of the island remain a challenge with only internet service still operational.
