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Tropical storm kills at least 12 in 'badly beaten' Dominica
By Alexander MARTINEZ
Roseau, Dominica (AFP) Aug 28, 2015


Dominica PM says at least 20 killed in tropical storm
Roseau, Dominica (AFP) Aug 29, 2015 - Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said Friday at least 20 people had been killed by Tropical Storm Erika as it passed over his tiny Caribbean nation sowing a trail of "monumental" destruction.

"The visual damage I saw today, I fear, may have set our development process back by 20 years," Skerrit said in an address to the nation, after surveying the island.

"Of greatest concern however, is the loss of life. So far we have confirmed that at least 20 citizens have died, and some are missing," he said.

Skerrit reported that massive damage had been inflicted on key infrastructure facilities and roads, and that "hundreds of homes around the country have been destroyed or rendered unsafe to occupy."

Highways had sustained widespread damage and bridges had been washed away, he said.

"I have been assessing the damage all day. The extent of devastation is monumental. It is far worse that expected" he said.

Tropical storm Erika drenches parched Cuba
Havana (AFP) Aug 30, 2015 - Tropical storm Erika broke up as it raked across Cuba on Saturday, drenching the drought-parched island in heavy rain after killing at least 20 people on the Caribbean island of Dominica.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Center later called off all coastal watches and warnings and said the storm had "dissipated" -- a relief for a dozen Caribbean island nations stalked in recent days by Erika.

But it did caution that Florida should keep an eye on "the remnants."

The storm dumped heavy rains on the Dominican Republic and Haiti in recent days, but its deadliest impact was on the tiny island nation of Dominica, which is still recovering from the assault and where the death toll could yet climb.

Floods and mudslides unleashed by the storm left scenes of devastation in the island of about 72,000 people.

"The visual damage I saw today, I fear, may have set our development process back by 20 years," Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said Friday after surveying the damage.

"Of greatest concern however, is the loss of life. So far we have confirmed that at least 20 citizens have died, and some are missing," he said.

Highways sustained widespread damage and bridges were washed away, he said.

In Cuba, the heavy rains came as welcome news to an island enduring its worst drought since 1901.

"The rains, at times intense, are received with pleasure, given the intense drought that affects this region since the end of last year," the official Cuban news agency Prensa Latina said.

After pounding Dominica on Friday, Erika let loose on Haiti, where authorities set up emergency shelters across the country.

According to an initial tally, one person was killed in a landslide and two people were injured in the Port-au-Prince region when a house collapsed. Flooding was reported in two regions after heavy rains.

Many homes in Haiti are rickety at best and more than 60,000 people are still living in emergency housing around Port-au-Prince following the country's devastating 2010 earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people and crippled the nation's infrastructure.

Haiti is located on the western half of the island of Hispaniola, which also includes the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic authorities had issued a red alert as schools, beaches and ports were closed and civil protection organizations were ordered to be at the ready.

Tropical Storm Erika killed at least 12 people as it swept over the small island of Dominica, its prime minister said Friday, noting his country had been "badly beaten."

Local media, meanwhile, put the death toll at 35 as rescuers made their way to the village of Petite Savanne deemed the hardest hit by the powerful weather system.

"I can confirm 12 but the number may be higher," Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit tweeted on his way to the hamlet.

According to The Dominican.net, 27 people were reported dead in Petite Savanne when a "massive mudslide" demolished several houses there.

"The country has been badly beaten," Skerrit said in an audio message.

"I am asking residents to come out to help clean the streets, clear ravines and public buildings today," he tweeted.

Word of the death and destruction put the Dominican Republic on edge as it braced for a direct blast from Erika Friday afternoon.

"The latest trajectory models indicate that the Dominican Republic will see a direct hit from Erika," Gloria Ceballos, the director of the National Meteorological Office, said via Twitter.

With Erika just 65 miles (105 kilometers) southeast of Santo Domingo, authorities issued a red alert, the country's highest.

Schools were closed and civil protection organizations were ordered to be at the ready so that, if necessary, they could quickly jump into action.

With unusually high waves expected, the Emergency Operations Center also closed beaches and banned vessels from leaving ports.

The Dominican Republic is particularly vulnerable to the impact of tropical storms due to the existence of rivers and streams in the capital Santo Domingo and elsewhere.

Packing maximum sustained winds of near 85 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour), the storm could bring up to 10 inches of rain across parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, as well as Turks and Caicos and the southeastern and central Bahamas through Saturday, forecasters at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

"These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," it warned.

In Puerto Rico, Erika left nearly 150,000 people without power, but appeared not to have caused major damage.

One possible silver lining: the rains could help ease a prolonged drought in the northern Caribbean.

- Florida declares emergency -

The storm's approach also set off a scramble to prepare as far north as the US state of Florida, where the governor declared a state of emergency.

On its current trajectory, Erika could smack into southern Florida by early Monday, forecasters said.

In declaring the state of emergency, Governor Rick Scott warned that the storm would "travel up the spine of Florida's peninsula."

"Tropical Storm Erika poses a severe threat to the entire state of Florida and requires that timely precautions are taken to protect the communities, critical infrastructure, and general welfare of this state," Scott said.

In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama had been briefed about preparations for Erika's possible landfall in the United States.

The center of Erika was on track to move over the Dominican Republic Friday, then near the Turks and Caicos Islands Friday night, and on to the central and northwestern Bahamas Saturday and Saturday night, the NHC said.


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SHAKE AND BLOW
Tropical storm Erika takes aim at Caribbean
Miami (AFP) Aug 27, 2015
Tropical storm Erika took aim at the Caribbean and storm warnings went up in Puerto Rico and in several other islands in anticipation of heavy rains, US forecasters said. With winds of 75 kilometers (45 miles) per hour, Erika was 315 kilometers east of Antigua at 2100 GMT, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said, warning of the potential for flash floods in places. Advancing west, ... read more


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