Baroness Scotland ‘heartbroken’ by Maria’s devastation

Scotland speaks with a woman whose home was demolished by Maria

Commonwealth Secretary-General and Dominican, Baroness Patricia Scotland, said she was heartbroken after witnessing the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in Dominica.

She recently visited Dominica and Antigua and has vowed to strengthen “legal frameworks to meet mitigation and adaption goals and ensure smooth relief efforts after hurricanes of this magnitude.”

She stated that upon visiting Dominica and Barbuda, which devastated by Hurricane Irma, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

“Flying in to Dominica, I hardly recognised the country of my birth. Maria has devoured almost all its vegetation. The signature green that used to define this fertile breadbasket of the Caribbean is gone, replaced by brown, bald patches of land and naked trees, stripped of their barks,” she said. “When I landed I was heartbroken. It was like an angry giant had stomped all over this beautiful island. Recently built roads were smashed and barely accessible, decades of infrastructure development gone.”

She said one touching and poignant moment was seeing a woman sitting in the midst of the rubble that used to be her home.

“She just sat there, among the pieces where her house once stood,” Scotland stated. “In 2015 Storm Erika had damaged her house, but Maria picked it up in her mighty hands and crushed it. She and her children, one of them just nine years old, are now homeless.”

She said in another area, her guide MP for the Soufriere Constitutency Denise Charles pointed to a collection of storm debris.

“Another example of a badly damaged road, I thought, but she told me that three house used to stand in the spot. Fourteen people perished when Maria demolished them,” she stated.

She also spoke of her experience when visiting Scotts Head in the south of the island.

“In the historic fishing village of Scotts Head, which holds many fond memories for me, Maria has created a new beach. Before, that beach was a row of houses. It is impossible to tell now that those homes ever existed. All that’s left are small piles of rubble on a stretch of bay sand, and a single fishing boat that somehow survived the carnage. This story of utter devastation, of screams in the dead of night, of burials and memorials, were repeated everywhere I went. No corner of the island is untouched by Maria,” she said.

She said despite the unspeakable tragedy, during her visit to Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda, she saw “an unbreakable spirit of resilience and revival.”

“I was able to attend Independence celebrations in both countries. I heard the leaders deliver powerful speeches about rebuilding better, stronger and greener. These countries declared loudly ‘we are still standing and we will continue to rise up from this disaster’. But they need help,” Scotland noted. “During my visit I met prime ministers Gaston Browne and Roosevelt Skerrit, opposition leaders, Baldwin Spencer and Lennox Linton, as well as members of the diplomatic community and other international organisations who are still on the ground and have done so much to help Barbuda and Dominica.”

She added, “I promised to do everything in my power to challenge rules that say a high-income but climate vulnerable country that has just lost all its economic sectors and its entire GDP to a hurricane, is ineligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA). We have already seen progress on this after the UK intervened, with donor countries now committing to review the rules.”

She noted that the Commonwealth is supporting both countries through initiatives such as our Climate Finance Access Hub.

“We already have an expert on the ground in Antigua and Barbuda and we are working with Dominica to get someone in as soon as possible to help create strong climate change projects which will attract funding,” she remarked. “The Commonwealth is helping to strengthen legal frameworks to meet mitigation and adaption goals and ensure smooth relief efforts after hurricanes of this magnitude. Our recently launched Office of Civil and Criminal Justice Reform is providing legislative reform guides and drafting tools. We will also make available a legal climate change toolkit which will be launched this week at the United Nations annual climate change conference, COP23.

 

 

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23 Comments

  1. Looking
    November 9, 2017

    The lady is truly heartbroken. Please emphasize with her. She may have said some things in the past but she is genuinely humbled. Please forgive her.

    • Anonymous
      November 9, 2017

      Only God can forgive her, certainly not me!

    • The Darkness
      November 9, 2017

      Why though?

      Certain things… you just simply do not get away with.

  2. Anonymous
    November 9, 2017

    I suspect she got a free visit at the expense of the Commonwealth office to inspect her family’s property in Vieille Case. Honestly, I would not put it past such an opportunist.

  3. Paul Rossnof
    November 9, 2017

    Oh please, do us all a favour… You and Skerrit are cut from the same cloth.

  4. Lyn
    November 8, 2017

    Poor woman, I guess you are very happy that your wishes on Dominica came true so please stop the pretending and just go away, get lost you are not Dominican.

  5. Jonathan St jean
    November 8, 2017

    Eh ben the Baron-mess has surfaced to witness the result of the salt just to find out the first report was from Skerritt on Facebook that his roof was gone and he like a twerd had to be rescued.Following TS Erica the Baron-mess brought a three person team on island and after their assessment promised Dominica some goodies,where are they or at what point in the pipeline are they stuck.She has lost credibility and as such is not someone who can it lead any effort to acquire much needed financial assistance for Dominica,not from other wealthy Commonwealth nation’s,who are weary of her.The Baron-mess is free to visit her homeland,so called,but this lightweight is of little benefit so she should go back with her bag of salt from whence she came for she is a liability not an asset

    • UK Dominican
      November 8, 2017

      Yes, and it turns out one member of that team was her own sister, which she never disclosed. Bloody typical of her!

  6. Anonymous
    November 8, 2017

    Best you leave our island quietly. All you have done is put Dominica in a bad light and brought us embarrassment.

  7. dissident
    November 8, 2017

    As man I don’t really care about your crocodile tears.

    To date you have never announced the total amount of money you raised for Dominica for tropical storm erika.

    You have been silent and absent for so long. ….we not feeling you right now
    I don’t really care to read what you have to say. ….I don’t know how to take you seriously!

    Good riddance. …..

  8. Shaka Zulu
    November 8, 2017

    We all sucking salt

  9. Anonymous
    November 8, 2017

    How can your heart be broken when you haven’t got one in the first place? In my book anyone who wishes our people to suck salt can not have a heart. And now her wish has come true, alas!

  10. Shameless
    November 7, 2017

    Oh my Goodness she finally made it with a huge bag of salt for us all :twisted: :twisted: .

    What a hypocrite! Please don’t cry for us Patricia for we are still SUCKING all that salt you have given us from the sales of our passport while you and your colleagues continue to suck on sugar. Yes the sugar a few got through the sales of our passport and dignity. God is NOT pleased Patricia, he is NOT pleased at all with you all.

    Assertive like Mama Eugenia! :twisted: :twisted:

  11. November 7, 2017

    At least show the lady some respect; her prophecy did come to pass “we really sucking salt wee” but i’m sure she has regrets that it’s not her so called HATERS alone that sucking it.

  12. Word power
    November 7, 2017

    Words have power .If you tell people to suck salt , they will surely do it.
    This is a lesson to our leaders . Your position is not to curse but to bless.
    Negativity at its highest .
    Sometimes we forget that God is still In Control.
    Lesson learned I hope .

  13. November 7, 2017

    As the house slave you are, the moment is in the know, to show the influence you have accumulated, while serving your master well,well. One of our biggest problem with women at the top, is that they don’t support. We are acknowledging the fact, that managing the former colonies of your masters, is one that brings no benefits whatsoever to the so-called subjects.

  14. Han
    November 7, 2017

    I hope whilst she is on island someone plays Astaphan’s ( Skerrit’s master) remarks about Crispin and others to her.

  15. viewsexpressed
    November 7, 2017

    What has this lady got to offer to Dominica. Dominica and Dominicans are looking for role models t captivate the principle and action of development. What gas she got to offer, cash or is it there is none at the Commonwealth Secreatriat.

    Skerrit and Scotland in the country is a hurricane in the making. Please God Protect us from this blowing winds (OMG)

  16. Dominican
    November 7, 2017

    So the lady woke up then? Well Patricia, you told us to go and suck salt and believe me that is what we are, doing right now that is those who have anything to suck at all!

  17. November 7, 2017

    Is now we will sou say sel

  18. Double Trouble
    November 7, 2017

    She still alive then? Well she cursed us and sent us to suck salt if we not supporting corruption and it so happened that the her curse fell on all of us, even Skerrit who has double trouble

  19. marie-claire R Skerrit
    November 7, 2017

    Lordness 50 plus days later and this crocked woman appears. SMH

  20. jihan
    November 7, 2017

    Baroness, this is all the almighty telling leaders like you to have compassion for the poor,and stop the political fighting,i praise the almighty daily,and this was his message to all.

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