A global Red Cross emergency team is on its way to Dominica.
The 12-person Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT) is made up of experts from around the world and will serve as a frontline for Red Cross support to the battered island.
This was revealed in a release issued today by the Barbados Red Cross.
Initial relief efforts will focus on shelter, water, food, sanitation, and broader health.
The Dominica Red Cross Headquarters has been damaged with some windows blown out and shutters ripped off. The main floor is under inches of water. Office computers and other equipment have been damaged or destroyed.
The roof of a Red Cross storeroom was blown off.
The release said some who experienced Hurricane David in 1979 claim Hurricane Maria was far worse.
An estimated 90 per cent of homes have been damaged or destroyed. Roads are still impassable due to landslides, there are broken roads and flooding islandwide and all utilities have been damaged.
Commercial flights have been cancelled. Access has only been by helicopter or boats. The main hospital has been evacuated with severe cases helicoptered to the French islands.
In Antigua, the Red Cross is providing assistance to the Barbuda victims of Hurricane Irma who were evacuated to Antigua.
Immediate relief supplies of food, hygiene kits and potable water are being supplied to those at the shelters, along with first aid services. Medical posts have been set up with emergency and observation rooms. (PR)
