Even as the death toll rose to 25 yesterday, Dominica issued a public appeal for their most vulnerable—babies and the elderly.
A statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister in St Lucia made the appeal on behalf of a storm-ravaged country which has seen several villages marooned five days after Tropical Storm Erika hit the island.
T&T, along with other Caricom countries, has been first to respond, sending search and rescue teams and other relief supplies.
Four helicopters from the Air Guard, which would have usually been part of the fly-past for the Independence Day Parade in Port-of-Spain, have been deployed to aid in rescue missions.
They have been operating out of a base in St Lucia as the airport in Dominica was wrecked by flooding and remains closed.
Dr Stephen Ramroop, CEO of the Office of Disaster and Preparedness Management (ODPM) told the T&T Guardian that within six hours of the storm hitting the country, there was a request from the Dominican government for relief efforts.
“The head of CDEMA (Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency) requested assistance. Through the ODPM with assistance from the NOC (National Operations Centre) we were able to coordinate our efforts to send people to assist with the search and rescue,” Ramroop said.
Twelve people were initially sent in to help with the search and rescue aid. Four helicopters were also sent in as aid to the country. The 12 relief workers will be sent in cycles. The first cycle of relief workers has already returned to Trinidad and another set is being deployed. Ramroop said the second wave of assistance was ready to be deployed to Dominica via St Lucia.
Ramroop said they were still in the early phases of the search and rescue, and T&T’s goal was to assist with the recovery effort. He further stated that there were parts of Dominica that had become isolated by the landslides. T&T has already sent food and water supplies to those areas.
The third phase of relief, Ramroop said, would be to provide structural assistance. He said soon T&T would be sending Bailey bridges, equipment such as hammers, wheelbarrows and water pumps. Ramroop said this aid was only the first phase of the disaster relief effort.
Soon, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will be briefed on the situation and further aid will be assessed and provided then, he said.
Rear Admiral Richard Kelshall has visited Dominica with the ODPM and the T&T Defence Force. He is expected to provide a report on what further aid the country needs.
Personnel from the Fire Services, the Ministries of Works and Local Government, the ODPM volunteers and other staff members were among those who were sent into Dominica, Ramroop said.
Last Thursday, Dominica was hit by the storm which caused heavy rainfall, floods and mudslides acrosss the country. Many parts of the island still remain isolated because major roadways and the airport were closed. The death toll rose to 25 yesterday, with many others still reported missing.
Other forms of disaster relief to Dominica have been coming in from private organisations such as the Rotary Club. The T&T sector of the Rotary Club is co-ordinating with the Dominican chapter to send relief items to the country.
Yesterday, a regional request from the Office of the Prime Minister in St Lucia asked for donations of items such as water pumps, chain saws, power generators, shovels, pickaxes, protective gear, ropes, adult diapers and wipes, hand sanitisers, baby milk and cereal and other items.
However, Ramroop said that people who wanted to donate to Dominica, should send cash instead of items.
“It is easier to coordinate efforts if we purchase the items from the same place instead of taking the time to sort though the items sent,” Ramroop said.