24 September, 2017
The eye of destructive Hurricane Maria which has unleashed devastation across the Caribbean is "now near" a British overseas territory, officials have warned.
At least 15 people were killed in Puerto Rico, El Nuevo Dia newspaper reported.
Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit today made a heartfelt plea to the United Nations General Assembly for emergency global humanitarian aid to be sent to the island, which was hammered by Hurricane Maria last Monday. On Friday morning, Maria was 35 miles east-northeast of Grand Turk Island. The island's Gregorio Luperón Airport was also left unaffected. It knocked out the island's power and several rivers hit record flood levels.
More than 95 percent of wireless mobile sites were not working on Thursday afternoon on the island, the US Federal Communications Commission said.
"But we are not counting our chickens".
It is also expected to bring storm surges of up to 12 feet to the southeastern Bahamas as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands. "We're going to need all of the helicopter help we can get, because we need to ferry the supplies to people", Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said yesterday.
Damaged homes from Hurricane Maria are shown in this aerial photo over the island of Dominica, September 19, 2017.
AFP aerial footage showed debris from damaged buildings scattered across the island of 72,000 people and many structures with their roofs ripped off. Trees were snapped in half or ripped out of the ground.
The neighbouring French island of Martinique and the South American country of Guyana have dispatched a team of 68 firefighters to Dominica, said Patrick Amoussou-Adeble, secretary-general of Martinique. We need roads, bridges and new infrastructure.
"We have done that assessment and there are a number of nations involved in the response for it", he said, adding that Maria has nearly "completely destroyed their agricultural sector".
"We need water, food and emergency shelter".
A Red Cross appeal, boosted by the Department for International Development's (DfID) aid match scheme doubling all public United Kingdom donations, has seen more than £2 million raised so far.
Another 60 tonnes is steaming towards the Caribbean on board HMS Ocean, which is due to arrive in the region on Friday.
