The governor of Dominica says Hurricane Maria resulted in “mind boggling” damage to the Caribbean island and is begging friendly nations for immediate aid after the Category 5 storm ravaged the country Monday.
“So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace,” Roosevelt Skerrit wrote early Tuesday in a Facebook update. “We will need help, my friend, we will need help of all kinds.”
The air and seaports of the Dominica island are expected to be inoperable for several days. Skerritt says the roof of the governor’s residence was one of the first to be ripped away, while Hurricane Maria may have also caused a cascading number of roofs to be removed from Dominica residents’ homes.
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Skerritt, who gave regular updates during the height of Hurricane Maria, had to be rescued at 9:30 p.m. ET Monday; 90 minutes prior to that, he wrote, “The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God!”
Maria had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph late Monday when it hit the Dominica island nation.
The Commonwealth of Dominica is known among divers and hikers, but is one of the lesser visited Leeward Islands. Mostly volcanic, the island has become a more popular stop for cruise ships in recent years. It boasts a population of roughly 72,000 people.
While sometimes confused with the Dominican Republic, Dominica is a separate island, located just north of St. Lucia and to the north-west of Barbados—two other islands prepared for Hurricane Maria.