Members of USAID's Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team in Dominica report widespread damage after Hurricane Maria—the second Category 5 storm to hit the Caribbean in two weeks—battered the island.

Peter Schecter, USAID/OFDA

Key Developments

On the night of September 18, 2017, Hurricane Maria passed directly over Dominica as a Category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, causing widespread, catastrophic damage across the island. Dominica’s main hospital, the prime minister’s official residence, and many other buildings lost their roofs to the hurricane’s strong winds, which reached 160 miles per hour. International media reported at least 15 storm-related deaths on Dominica as of September 21, and the number of fatalities was expected to rise as damage assessments continued.

USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team in the Caribbean and Response Management Team in Washington, D.C.—initially established in response to Hurricane Irma—remain activated to coordinate the U.S. Government’s humanitarian response to the hurricanes.

Response stakeholders in Dominica have shifted from humanitarian response to recovery activities, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reports. This includes the transfer of responsibility for response coordination from the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) Emergency Operations Center to the GoCD Ministry of Planning.

Hurricane Maria damaged or destroyed nearly 23,500 houses in Dominica, representing approximately 90 percent of houses countrywide, the UN reports. In response to the continued need for shelter materials, labor support, and shelter repair instruction, USAID partner IFRC provided plastic sheeting and other relief commodities to 5,000 households and building materials for roof repair to 2,500 households in Dominica.

USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance recently contributed $750,000 to non-governmental organization Samaritan’s Purse to support fishing cooperatives in Dominica to repair and replace hurricane-damaged infrastructure. The new assistance is targeting 12 priority cooperatives benefiting approximately 2,200 fishermen across Dominica, with the aim of improving food security on the island.

Learn more about USAID's Caribbean Hurricanes response efforts

Background

Dominica, an island country in the eastern Caribbean, is vulnerable to natural disasters, including hurricanes and severe weather. When disaster strikes Dominica, USAID typically works with non-governmental organizations to meet humanitarian needs and complement local and national government relief efforts. In addition to direct disaster relief, USAID supports a number of regional initiatives to address disaster risks and build capacity for disaster response in the Caribbean.