Two communities on the southeast coast remain cut off from the rest of the island as the number of bodies recovered stands at 11, said Dominica’s Minister of Education Petter Saint Jean.
He gave the update during a conference call with members of the Dominica Association of Barbados at the Black Rock Cultural Centre last night. The association invited Dominicans here to a meeting to update them on the relief effort for affected members of their country.
Saint Jean, who stood in for Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit who was out visiting affected communities, said via Skype that 751 residents from Petite Savanne and 150 people in Bagatelle had to be evacuated from the storm-ravaged communities.
Source: Nation News
11 bodies recovered as rescuers still search for the missing on Dominica
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Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skeritt has expressed thanks to the Government of Barbados for the timely response of assistance and support after the passage of Tropical Storm Erika last week.
Floods from heavy rainfall destroyed several homes and resulted in the deaths of 11 people, with some 20 more missing.
“They have given some added hands to the already stretched police force of Dominica,” he stated to members of the media and a nation-wide audience, on Thursday, during his nightly press briefing.
“The Barbados Government has been very helpful in that regard and in terms of its immediate assistance with the search and rescue effort,” he explained. Prime Minister Skeritt also thanked the Barbadian public. “The community of Barbados has been very helpful in sending supplies to us from various groups, organizations and business houses,” he said.
The Dominican Association of Barbados will be accepting further donations to the Dominican Relief Fund on Saturday, September 5, at the Black Rock Community Centre, Black Rock Main Road, St. Michael, starting at 4:00 p.m. Persons are urged to visit the official website opm.gov.dm, and click on the heading “Erika Recovery”, to know which items are critically needed.
Digicel commits more than US$500,000 to Dominica’s storm relief efforts – 11 bodies recovered
Digicel on Friday announced that it has committed over US$500,000 in support of the relief efforts in Dominica following the devastation that was left behind when Tropical Storm Erika hit the island last week.
Having confirmed the safety of all staff, Digicel’s immediate focus moved towards ensuring its networks were restored and operational as quickly as possible, enabling customers to communicate with friends and family throughout other parts of the island and abroad. With the mobile network now 98% operational, Digicel has given away free call credit to customers across the island. On the Digicel Play side, the network has been restored in all of the main areas and Digicel is Friday announcing that as a result of the disruption, customers will not be charged for their TV service for the month of August, also easing the financial burden at this time.
In tandem, Digicel has been supporting the relief efforts on the island in partnership with aid agencies as well as directly with those communities most affected. To date, it has delivered US$150,000 in food supplies, blankets, mattresses, stoves and handsets to staff and residents in the worst affected communities and continues to work closely with the Red Cross – donating supplies as well as a boat to provide access to those who are cut off by road.
The team is also assisting various groups with handsets and credit including the Police Head Quarters, Dominica Air and Sea Port Authority, and the Meteorological Office. In addition, Digicel has launched a text to donate line across all 32 markets – from which all funds will be donated directly to Dominica’s relief efforts.
Paul Osborne, Digicel Regional CEO, said; “We are deeply upset and concerned by the devastation left behind in the wake of Tropical Storm Erika and are doing everything we can to support the much-needed relief efforts. In the coming days, my team will be at Roseau Grammar School and Grandbay where they will be serving food and hosting the evacuated families in these locations.”
“We hope that others will also step up to support the people of Dominica by providing aid to assist with the recovery and rebuilding efforts that are now needed on the island,” concluded Osborne.
