Dominica
More than 15 people have died and 20 are missing on Dominica, the first island hit by Maria.
Prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit said on Thursday afternoon it was a “miracle” the death toll wasn’t in the hundreds. He said Dominica “is going to need all the help the world has to offer”.
Hartley Henry, an adviser to the prime minister, said there had been a “tremendous loss of housing and public buildings”.
Tourism minister Robert Tonge said the island’s capital, Roseau, still had severe flooding. He said the hospital and a community center both lost roofs.
One of two airports serving the country is out of action; the other is expected to be working in the coming days. An estimated 95% of the roofs were blown off in some towns, including Mahaut and Portsmouth. There are at least nine communities that no one has any information about because they’re cut off and most communications are down in the country.
As of Thursday afternoon, the electricity service was completely out, the water system was shut off to 70% of customers, and the telecommunications infrastructure was barely functioning.
Governor Ricardo Rossello said the only known death was a man struck by a piece of wood blown by the wind, but the death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from outlying areas.
The White House on Thursday morning declared Puerto Rico “a major disaster” zone and ordered federal assistance to be directed to dozens of municipalities in the territory.
To check on residents of Puerto Rico, you can reach Puerto Rico’s Federal Affairs Administration at 1-202-778-0710 or maria1@prfaa.pr.gov
Montserrat
As of Wednesday afternoon, electricity was out across the island and only essential vehicles were allowed on the roads, many of which were blocked by downed trees and power lines.
Government offices in Montserrat will open on Friday and teachers are due in school that day to prepare for the resumption of classes the following Monday.
Updates are being posted on the government’s official media Facebook page
Guadeloupe
At least two people died and two were missing on the French island. “Almost all the banana plantations on the island have been affected,” prime minister Edouard Philippe said after an inter-ministerial meeting. “Production has totally stopped.”
St Kitts & Nevis
The eye of Hurricane Maria passed to the south of the islands on Monday and heavy winds damaged homes and businesses. Citizens had a national cleanup day on Wednesday to work through the debris. The airport is open as normal. “We are deeply appreciative that again we have been spared the third hurricane in succession,” said prime minister Timothy Harris.
Dominican Republic
The president of the hotel association in the Dominican Republic says Hurricane Maria did not inflict any damage to the county’s tourism infrastructure.
Joel Santos said that assessment includes Punta Cana on the eastern tip of the country. That was the area closest to the eye when the storm passed on its way toward the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands to the north. The government evacuated more than 4,000 tourists to the capital of Santo Domingo.
The meteorological service said on Thursday that rain from the storm will continue in the Dominican Republic for the next two days for a total of around 19in.
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Residents were preparing for Maria to hit the islands on Thursday. All travel to and from the islands has been suspended and lines of communication are expected to be lost within the next 12 hours.
“Right now, Turks and Caicos is in recovery mode from Hurricane Irma. We are not stable enough to cope with even a mild storm. There is lots of loose debris from Irma, which poses a huge risk,” said Sophie Newstead, who works for Hurricane Irma Relief Turks and Caicos (Hirtac), one of the relief charities working on the islands.
The damage caused by Hurricane Irma is preventing relief agencies like Hirtac from accessing areas most affected by the storm, including South Caicos, where some areas are almost totally destroyed. Local supermarkets are providing free meals to residents, and teams of local volunteers are assisting in clean-up efforts and helping preparations for Maria.