That’s the same Roseau River which, in May 2017, “received” its fifth two-lane bridge (which is still to be named). That bridge is arched, and equipped with coloured lights which illuminated the pillars and the water under and near the bridge, in changing colours of red, blue, green, and yellow at nights.
Oh boy! That is the same Roseau River which, on the night of Monday 18th September 2017, combined its deadly forces with the winds of Category 5 Hurricane Maria, went on a rampage and wreaked so much havoc and destruction in Roseau, Pottersville, Bath Estate and Elmshall. The river:-
* Flooded Savanne Park, Paradise Valley/Bath Estate, and parts of Elmshall close to its left-hand bank.
* Destroyed the suspended sewage line that served the residents of the then recently occupied Elmshall Apartments. That line had been suspended over the river, between Elmshall and Bath Estate.
* Further severely eroded the southern apron and side of the Bath Estate Football Field, rendering the venue unfit for playing of football matches in its immediate post-Maria condition.
* Severely compromised the eastern abutment of the Bath Estate Bridge; climbed over the decking of that bridge; and flooded the ground-floor apartments in the Bath Estate Apartments near the bridge.
* Destroyed the ruins of the Bath Estate Suspension Bridge and further damaged the Stadium Bridge.
* Caused the collapse of the northern abutment of the E.C. Loblack Bridge, rendering that bridge unmotorable; and “surgically” removed the railings on both sides of the northern section of that same bridge, as well as the railings along both sides of the southern half of the Dominica-China Friendship Bridge.
* Flooded the more “level” part of Roseau, an area extending from the Windsor Park Link Road (at the back of the Stadium) and River Bank to the North; to Bath Road (including the Stadium) to the East; to part of Valley Road and the full length of King George V Street to the South, to the full length of Dame Mary Eugenia Charles Boulevard to the West.
That inundated area included the ground floors of Government Headquarters, the Computer Centre, Halsbro Medical, the Financial Centre and Dominica Social Security; the Police Headquarters; the Court House; the Roseau Fish and Produce Markets; the General Post Office; the three commercial banks and the National Co-operative Credit Union; Save-a-Lot, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Courts, H.H.V. Whitchurch, All Saints University; and most basements in the city, among so many other buildings, leaving behind hundreds of tons of sand and silt, hundreds of logs of assorted sizes and species, coconuts, and hundreds of thousands of gallons of flood water.
* Just for the records, on 22nd October 2017, this writer measured at three separate locations in downtown Roseau, the heights at which fine debris from the same Roseau River had been trapped during the “Maria Flooding”.
– 4ft 8in above the sidewalk, over the top of the stone step of a wooden building opposite Starrin & Sons on Hillsborough Street;
– 6ft above the sidewalk, over the stone step leading into Nitty’s Beauty Saloon near the bread depot on Great George Street; and
7ft 7in above the sidewalk, on metal bars near the door of Scottie’s Shop at the corner of Great George Street and River Bank.
(N.B. A man about 6ft in height attempting to carry a carton of beer or whisky on his head at the latter location would have been totally submerged, together with his load.)
* Washed away the small barber shop and about 8 snacketts & bars on lower River Bank, leaving several “little people” without the means to earn a living.
* “Looted”, ‘stole” or “moved without permission” scores of vehicles in Roseau and Pottersville during its rage. Some of those vehicles – or their wrecks – were never recovered.
* Piled up hundreds of debarked logs of assorted sizes and species in front of and under the Bath Estate Bridge, Stadium Bridge, E.C. Loblack Bridge, the New West Bridge and the Dominica-China Friendship Bridge.
* Flooded the entire suburb of Pottersville, from the river’s right-hand bank to near the foot of the front-steps of the St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church to Goodwill Road and Elliot Avenue, depositing tons of sand, silt, other debris, hundreds of huge debarked logs, and about 5 ft of muddy water, with logs floating on Potters Street, Steber Street etc even on the day after the storm.
That’s the same Roseau River which, during Maria, snatched a 5 year-old boy from his family at Pottersville, never to be seen again. The river almost carried away several other persons on River Bank, and may even have claimed other lives during the hurricane.
Yea, that’s the same river which had shaken a warning finger at Roseau during Erika, making some of us realise that the Stadium Bridge was of inappropriate design and was much too low over its bed.
That’s the same Roseau River on which a major dredging operation was started within months after ‘Maria’, beginning in January 2018 at the river mouth and progressing upstream. The convoy of red trucks hauling away the dredged material – with NO SPILLAGE on our roads – all bore the slogan DOMINICA STRONG! at the top of their windscreen.
That’s the same river whose water, more than three months following Maria, had not returned to its normal “crystal clear” state, and even with light rains in the hills, becomes heavily turbid – assuming a coffee-and-milk colour – transporting large amounts of sediment from some major landslides in its watershed.
And yes, that’s the same Roseau River which, like what happened with the passage of Hurricane David in August 1979, provided water – heavily turbid as it were – to some of the residents of Bath Estate, Roseau and environs for washing and bathing following Maria.
All that and more is the Roseau River, which was helped by the winds of “Maria”, and the senselessness of “Marie-loot”, to wreak so much destruction in Roseau and Pottersville in particular. But, one wonders what Dominica’s capital would be like, without the Roseau or Queen’s River… which also flooded Kings Lane during Maria. You tell me!
The 13th. Anniversary of World Rivers Day is round the corner. Let us celebrate by joining the Donmitjen fo Roseau River Endurance Competition carded for Sunday, 30 September. Partners so far are The Fire and Ambulance Division, Forestry, D.H.T.A.; DAWASCO; World Rivers Day Committee among others. Register with the W.R.D.Ctee.
To contact me, please use the form on this page: https://martywolk.com/
Well done Sir! You taught me once and I am pleased to say that you are as eloquent now, well versed in our history – social and natural – as you were then. I nominate you as Minister of Agriculture, with special responsibility for Forestry, Reforestation and the National Aviary so we can get our looted birds back.
We need serious and honest Dominicans like you more than ever.
Thanks much for your service to education!
Thank You, Mr Man Himself. You know there is a saying, “Once a teacher, always a teacher.” These were two very important years in my life as a youth. I am assuming that you are a past student of the Dominica Grammar School.
And it is the same Roseau River that flows past the DGS playing field.
By your description of the resulting destruction, there should be calls for relocation of the residents of the affected area if we are to apply the Skerritt rationale being applied to Petite Savanne, Coulibistrie, and Colihaut. I marvel that we are using a one in a hundred year event to rush to a conclusion we have to uproot people, move them to God-knows-where, and herd them in apartments. Truth be told, because of the topography of the island, just about all the village of Dominica are in precarious positions. The majority of villages are in valleys, on river beds, hillsides or coastlines. Should we move them too?
Gregor issacs best you had remained at Bello or DCP and not entered politics bc uncle COX, neighbour ZINGPING or Mouzi would never sell out river Street twice.
Issac would uncle COX, ZINGPING, or Mouzzi accept a bribe?
Like DA’s larry King would say on what about.I would like to add my 5cents piece. Arl would know that I was born by the river & grew up ther with Johnson Mossuo pie’ Gregory Issacs lol talking bout Joseph who has become Skerrit’s night & day Nurse lol having dissed Larry King & his passed down/hand picked leadership.
I can speak volumes of events in my lifetime Arl James about that same Roseau River from catching crayfish & eels to multiple cut under the sole of my feet both to the late night defs and the carbooway kaka of the earl morns of our primitive days.Tim Tim can attest to those days. remember Alfonse the baker who was swept away in 1971 trying to save his common law wife Diny she was saved but was swept away. Just to mention one such incidents.
My point here is to make th observation that this roseau river has HISTORY issac has just began his by the Roseau river history as the first caco well guy to screw up and make a fool of self Poverty is a hell of a ting.
Inclosing Not even Corks his deceased uncle nor Edward let alone zingping or Moozie made fools of themselves as Mousso pie Jr has done.
Continued : Not even his uncle COXS nor Edward let alone Zingping let alone muoozi would make fools of themselves for politics & money like Issac now transformed into Skerrit’s night & day nurse for the Roseau central seat. Mouoozi( heskief Clark) zingpin who told you oudyou cox norEd would sell out like that for a drink.Not for Labour Freedom/DUPP let alone the UWP and or the Neo DLP.It is clear that the strong river street culture has left.They would (then never sell out not 4 drinks money or anything else. tht same roseau river flanks had a strong mechanic & boxing base and produce many a brilliant son & daughter. gregory issac has let us down as he stood up x2 for backwaedness.Will he join a nother river street/bank guy? the DFP leader soon? I ofen wonder about his character.As Rupert Sohrindo.
I’m a journalist working on a story about the upcoming hurricane season. I enjoyed your stories. Would you be willing to chat about how things are going in Dominica? If so let’s connect by email or phone.
Tears while I read this. Oh
The mighty Roseau River that will was all the corruption out of Dominica,when it undermines the financial center and it falls.
Correction WASH!!!!!
Sorry Arlington but that’s the same Roseau River where Issac joseph grew up ! Lol! LMAO hahahahahahahahaha
just a little laughter chicken soup 4 the soul. DA is under pressure we need a little laughter.It has been one thing after the other Eric Maria Issac, LL Skeerit pepip NKomo, all giving us jokes but no good enough to free up the stress so we go with RUM which is not good with so much Diabetes highblood pressure etc
One of those political pastors should take Issac to be baptised in the same roseau River near where he grew up.
Yes, that Roseau river still continues wash a whole lot of sin and corruption away!……. Just kidding…..
This is hilarious peeps. DA is the bomb. LL Issacs , NKomo(/Sr.Counsel from Posse the real P.M) keep it coming.
It’s double fun for me in the USA as I come home to jokes nightly from Trump and his crazy people I go to bed happy from all the BS I see & hear. Listening to Q95 ,DBS reading DNO just get me off to a good start daily Thx DA for the BS politics. Gregory Issacs changes his tune big deal breaking news! boy are we screwed done as a nation.
What a great trilogy…enjoyed reading all three articles…powerful pictures in this last one.
Thanks for sharing all this with us.
Thanks. Just Adding my ti-kapa in documenting the role that this same Roseau has played in Dominica’s development, culture etc.k
Hi Arlington — See my note above and let me know if you want to try to get in touch. I’m a journalist working on a story about the upcoming hurricane season.
Bless you believer