Cat 5 Hurricane Marina - Weeping for Dominica and Others

Toni and Jeff - see the framed pic on the counter?

Sept 29^th 2017

This is Toni and her husband Jeff.  We met them in May 2017 in Dominica.  She is from Trinidad, he is from Dominica.  They met in Hawaii.  They came back to Dominica to start their life together.  They have two small children.  They built a lovely three story house.  Out in front of their house is a small roti/doubles/snack shop.  The land is family land on Jeff’s side.  He father grew up in a tiny 2 room house on that very land.  There is a framed picture on the counter of the snack shop of his father as a child at that house. Their plan is to live in the middle floor and make the top floor two separate apartments to rent out.  The bottom floor would be a market/wholesale place catering to visiting cruisers.  

Their house and business

We got to know them a little bit while we were in Dominica.  Lovely, warm people.  She and I have communicated via email a few times since.   She wrote to me in June to asking if we had safely arrived in Trinidad.  I wrote back saying we had and gave her a short update.  Mid summer I emailed her asking how they were doing.  She responded that they had gotten the market/wholesale area open on the first floor and they were excited for the coming cruising season.  Then hurricane Maria took aim on Dominica.  I emailed her right before.  I didn't really know what to say other than something like "We are thinking of you,. Be safe.  Good luck and please try to let us know you are ok after."  It felt like a weak and empty thing to say but it was all I had.  She emailed right back thanking me for my concern and letting me know that they were prepped and waiting.  Ugh! 

Our hiking guide Ian.  He lived right on a river in Portsmouth.  I hope he is ok. We don't know.

Maria decimated Dominica.  She also went on to ravage St Croix and Puerto Rico.  Report began to trickle out but very slowly.  Very few came out of Dominica.  Eventually, more reports and then pictures started surfacing.  Our worst fears, near total destruction.  I think something like 95% of all structures have sustained some sort of damage.  I need to remind you now, that Dominica was hit by tropical storm Erika two years ago.  That storm brought record rains that in turn caused massive flooding and numerous mudslides that took out over half the roads and hundreds of homes.  33 people died in TS Erika.  The country had only just recovered.  

Taken in 2016 from TS Erika in 2015

It is also important to remember that Dominica is it's own sovereign country with no strong motherland behind her.  Additionally, Dominica is one of the poorest countries in the eastern Caribbean.  Without a large, international airport, the tourist trade that most of these islands depend on doesn't happen on the same level in Dominica.  Despite that challenge, they have come a long way in developing not only a small tourist trade but ecotourism.  A perfect fit for all the natural beauty that is Dominica with 7 extinct volcanoes, 360+ rivers,  hiking trails, the boiling lake, whales and so much more.  

Middleham falls 2016

The cruising community LOVES Dominica.  Nearly everyone stops there while sailing north and south each season.  While several islands got hard hit this hurricane season and many are suffering, this fondness and the above facts are the reason that much of the cruiser related efforts at hurricane relief is focused on Dominica.  Martinique cruisers, Grenada cruisers and Trinidad cruisers have all mobilized with locals on each island to collect needed items and money.  Yachts and a tug have been loaded and have sailed for Dominica.  Additional will be following.  At great risk to themselves and their vessels, I might add. 

sv Endorfin II on the way to the Boiling Lake 2016

As cruisers, sometimes we get lucky and come to know locals on a personal level.  That is one of the magical things about this life, the wonderful people we meet.  This gives us a personal connection to a place and let's us get a glimpse into another culture.  When a natural tragedy or other strikes in that far off place.... like the Caribbean, we can no longer say "Oh, how sad for those people."  Instead we are invested, we know that place personally, we have a connection.  Our acquaintances/friends are there.  They may/are affected.  It pains and worries us.  Often we are called to response action somehow.  These connections and understanding of another place and people make this world a better place.  Especially during the bad times.  One race = the human race.  

Greg our boat guy in Roseau 2016.  I hope he is ok.  We don't know.

There are also additional cruiser efforts for other islands and individual causes and individual families.  We all know someone that was affected this hurricane season, some worse than others.  I just thought I might explain why it may seem like the cruising community is so focused on Dominica and to a lesser extent, Barbuda.  That tiny island is part of the sovereign nation of Antigua and Barbuda.  Again, hit head on by cat 5 Irma and again, no strong motherland behind her.  All 1800 inhabitants of Barbuda were forced to leave their island.  Did you get that.....they had to completely leave the island because the destruction was SO complete!  It is the first time in 300 years that the island had been without people.    

Famous guide Seacat making lunch at Boiling Lake in 2016.  I hope he is ok.  We don't know.  His house is right on the water.

Back to Toni and Jeff - We waited and waited to hear from her.  I scoured the internet for information on the damage in Portsmouth where Toni and Jeff live, hoping for some sort of update.  As I mentioned above, communication out of Dominica was very slow in coming with many, many areas completely cut off from the outside world or even from the government of Dominica itself.  Finally, this week on Wednesday Sept 27th I emailed Toni asking "Are you all alive?  Are you ok?"  I let her know that relief efforts had started in Trinidad, Grenada and Martinique...."Help is on the way.  Hang on"   She responded back late in the day they were alive and ok!  *I am tearing up now as I write this.  So emotional.  It seems they are US citizens (probably when they lived in Hawaii) and therefore were able to evacuate on Monday Sept 25th to Trinidad, several days after the hurricane hit.  She said their house and business was damaged but not nearly as bad as many others.  She added that Dominica is in real trouble.  "They need food and medical supplies now!  People are or have run out of food.  The main hospital in Portsmouth was damaged and needs supplies."   We were SO relieved and yet heartbroken at her report of the conditions.  She said they will stay in Trinidad for two weeks and then head to Texas to stay with family there for a while.  She didn't say when they would return to Dominica.  Think of all the thousands of people that were not able to evacuate.   

Young guide on our Boiling Lake hike 2016.  I hope he is ok.  We don't know.

I mentioned above how it felt weak and empty saying "Thinking of you.  Be safe.  Good luck and please let us know you are ok when you can".  It's more than that, you feel helpless to do anything - before, during and after.   Social media has been filled with images, reports and stories of all the destruction.  Most of us hit the cry emoji and make a comment, something along the lines of "heartbreaking"  but those are the same.....weak and empty.  Make no mistake - it is a horrible thing to have to send an email out with the subject line "Are you alive?  Are you ok?"   I think everyone was just so shocked and stunned.  We didn't know what to do.  But relief efforts soon fired up.  Links to organizations to donate money to or specific GoFundMe.  As well as the the above cruiser/local relief efforts to gather food and supplies to send.  

The people of these islands are strong.  They will rebuild.  This I know.  But they need help from all of us.  ALL of us!!  One race = human race!