by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:55 AM ET, Fri September 22, 2017
With Hurricane Maria still threatening parts of the Dominican Republic and Turks & Caicos, Caribbean government and tourism officials are beginning to calculate the impact of the second devastating storm to strike the region in a matter of days.
Ravaged by Maria on Monday, rescue and recovery efforts are being launched in Dominica and Puerto Rico, which was heavily damaged by Maria on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both islands escaped significant damage from Hurricane Irma days before.
The entire country of Dominica was impacted by Hurricane Maria, which created "billions of dollars" in damage, said officials of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) in news reports. The storm produced seven confirmed fatalities said Hartley Henry, principal advisor to Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica's prime minister.
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Additionally, Dominica's capital city of Rouseau and communities across the island suffered heavy flooding and severe damage to buildings and other structures. The roofs of the city's hospital and community center were torn off, a fate suffered by numerous buildings across the island.
Henry said Wednesday he talked with Skerrit via satellite phone. The prime minister expressed an urgent need for "helicopter services to take food, water and tarpaulins to outer districts for shelter," Henry said.
Officials also expressed concern for coastal and internal communities around the island, including Dominica's indigenous Kalinago community. The damage from Maria is so severe the country may need to evacuate Dominicans by sea, said Ronald Jackson, CDEMA's executive director. He added Skerrit would be airlifted to Antigua Thursday to deliver an address from a local television station.
Dominica had largely rebuilt public and tourism infrastructure that was destroyed in August 2015 by Tropical Storm Erika, which triggered severe floods and mudslides, killed 30 residents and wrecked hundreds of homes and businesses. The crippling storm also scuttled what had been shaping up as a strong year for visitor arrivals.
Trinidad & Tobago is working to aid its Caribbean neighbor.
"Currently coordination is taking place under the leadership of the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs," Henry said.
Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard is also preparing to send a supply vessel carrying military personnel and supplies to Dominica.
Saint Lucia will act as an operational base for the relief effort to Dominica. According to Lenard Montoute, Saint Lucia's acting prime minister and minister for equity, social justice and empowerment, the country's officials are coordinating with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States on the response efforts.
Hurricane Maria destroyed hundreds of homes, triggered heavy flooding and cut electrical power across Puerto Rico Wednesday. A full assessment of the storm's damage was expected to begin Thursday.
"The information we have received is not encouraging," sad Abner Gomez, Puerto Rico's emergency management director in an Associated Press report. "[Maria] is a system that has destroyed everything in its path."
Major tourist attractions in the country remain closed according to the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) officials. Travelers should check with their individual hotels to determine the status of upcoming reservations. Luis Munoz Marin International Airport was scheduled to re-open Thursday following damage assessments.
The PRTC has established a 24-hour PRTC hotline for hotels, travelers and industry partners at (877) 976-2400. Travelers can also contact a customer service representative via online chat at www.seepuertorico.com.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is also seeking recovery from both Hurricane Irma and Maria. While the former devastated the islands of St. Thomas and St. John, the latter badly damaged St. Croix, the territory's third major island.
"The past 24 hours have been difficult and exhausting for the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands, especially our friends, family, neighbors and communities on St. Croix," said Kenneth E. Mapp, the U.S. Virgin Islands' governor.
He said the territory has established the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands to coordinate recovery efforts. Mapp said government officials will work with "our federal partners and our friends across the mainland and around the world, to clean up and reconstruct the beautiful U.S. Virgin Islands."
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