Hurricane Omar batters Dominica's west coast

Roseau Cruise Ship Berth battered by sea swells from Hurricane Omar

Although located some 140 miles to the northeast of Dominica, storm surges from Hurricane Omar severely battered the island’s west coast resulting in millions of dollars of damage. Not a single community from Portsmouth in the north to Scottshead in the south was spared the ravages of Omar. The villages of Scottshead, Soufriere and Pointe Mitchel in the south and Coulibistrie, Colihaut, Bioche and Portsmouth in the north sustained the heaviest damage. Parts of Roseau and in particular the Pottersville area also sustained a severe pounding.

Most of the damage from the 12-feet tall storm surges was to coastal roads and fishing installations. Scottshead, the southernmost tip of the island was cut off from the rest of Dominica with the only road connecting the village to its neighbors completely submerged under water. Colihaut was also impassable making it dangerously difficult or impossible for persons to access the northern end of the island.

In Portsmouth, as was the case with most of the fishing communities hugging Dominica’s west coast, a number of boats and small crafts were washed up unto the beaches. Fishers in Bioche and Dublanc sustained heavy losses to their boats and fishing tackle. A number of families in the low-lying areas of these communities had to be relocated as their homes were flooded. Many of the fisher folks in Scottshead and Soufriere also lost their boats and fishing gear. Pottersville, one of the three fishing communities in the Roseau area, was particularly hard-hit with several of the fishers losing their entire livelihoods; boats, tackle and boat houses (In many cases, the boat houses served as their homes).

Significant damage was also done to other coastal installations. Several of the hotels, guest houses and bars along the island’s southwestern coast from Citroner to Point Michel sustained heavy losses. The Anchorage hotel, at one point having to move its guests to nearby accommodations, reported millions of dollars in damage. Its Wharf as well as those of every other establishment on the Citroner waterfront was completely destroyed. Several of the bars along the Pointe Michel coast were destroyed. The Roseau Cruise ship berth as well as the Roseau Ferry Terminal also received their share of battering. Both installations were completely awash resulting in damage to infrastructure and loss of equipment

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit along with a number of his cabinet colleagues as well as members of the Emergency Response Unit toured the affected areas. Ambrose George, Minister of Public Works and Public Utilities said the damage was “very extensive and can be considered a total disaster.” He indicated that the government would require millions of dollars to undertake repairs and reconstruction. Mr. Skerrit however assured those directly affected by Omar that his government would spare no effort to identify the necessary resources to fund the recovery effort. “We will find the resources to help our people rebuild their lives and return to some level of normalcy in the quickest possible time” he said. “Dominicans are a resilient people and I am confident we will bounce back.”