Despite being smaller in strength than a hurricane, a tropical storm can still cause immense damage. Often, regions that suffer the most from this type of weather phenomenon are those which are considered third-world countries. Most recently, Tropical Storm Erika devastated the small Caribbean country of Dominica.
The Commonwealth of Dominica is a small island nation located in the Lesser Antilles . About two-thirds of it is covered in tropical rainforest. The nation has a population of about 70,000 people. Dominica is one of the poorer countries of the Caribbean region. About 40 percent of the general population and 50 percent of the nation’s children live in poverty.
Tropical Storm Erika is not the first storm to heavily devastate the island nation of Dominica. In 1979, Hurricane David ripped the nation to shreds. Weather forecasts predicted that the storm would miss the island completely, but this did not occur. David caught the nation completely off-guard. David was recorded to have had wind speeds of around 150 miles per hour. The storm left the island completely destitute. Around three-quarters of the island’s residents were left homeless. Thirty-seven people were killed and another 5,000 wounded. In addition, the storm completely destroyed Dominica’s major source of revenue: its citrus and banana crops. Numerous humanitarian associations such as the IMF and the International Red Cross sent relief teams and financial aid.
David was known as one of the worst storms of the 20th century. More recently, Tropical Storm Erika repeated the destruction of David.
Erika began by drenching Dominica with nearly 12 inches of rain. The considerable amount that fell within such a short timeframe (about 10 hours) led to intense mudslides and flooding. The flooding cut off numerous small roads between villages and the rest of the country that often serve as lifelines for these towns.
In total, about 20 people died from the flooding in Dominica. Hundreds of homes and bridges were completely destroyed. The damage to Dominica’s infrastructure is estimated to be tens of millions of dollars. As the president explains, “The damage will set the island back two decades."
Foreign countries are sending some relief efforts. The United States and Canada have provided helicopters to help search for people stranded in villages cut off from the rest of the nation. Anything above this effort is unknown at the current time.
I encourage everyone to pray for Dominica. From 9/11 to Katrina, Americans will often turn to prayer in time of need. I would encourage you to remember the citizens of other countries, as well. If possible, maybe even try to find a nonprofit that is helping with relief in Dominica and donate.
James 1:27 reads:
“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world”.
God wants us to look after those who cannot look after themselves, so far as we are able.
