Tropical Storm Erika wreaks havoc in Dominica

Twelve people were killed in Dominica when Tropical storm Erika swept across the Easter Caribbean last week.

Torrential rainfall on Dominica caused widespread flooding and mudslides in the southeast of the island where authorities recovered the bodies of an elderly blind man and two children at their home.

A fourth death occurred in the capital Roseau, where a man was found dead near his home following a mudslide.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit tweeted that 12 people were confirmed dead in heavy flooding, “but the number may be higher”. Cars were swept away by raging flood waters.

Skerrit appealed for fresh water and supplies.

Antigua and Barbuda diplomat Sir Ronald Sanders has called on the Commonwealth Secretariat, the European Union Commission and international financial institutions to respond swiftly to the urgent needs of Dominica, which suffered loss of life during the passage of the storm.

Sanders is the newly-appointed Antigua and Barbuda ambassador to the Organization of the American States and country’s nominee for the position of Commonwealth Secretary General.