Tropical Storm Erika: “We will never forget” (with photo gallery)

It’s been five years since the passage of Tropical Storm(TS) Erika but the events of that dreadful morning still assail the thoughts of many here on the island. For some, it’s the haunting image of the storm’s onrushing black water and others, the constant reminder of how their homes built from the ground up, their livelihoods and relatives, were all taken away in a matter of minutes.

Today on the occasion of the fifth year anniversary of TS Erika, a Dominica News Online (DNO) team went out to some parts of the country which were hardest hit, to listen to and to share the stories of those who were directly affected. Today, we heard the cries of citizens who, years later, still grieve for family members, who perished before their very eyes. We heard the aggravation of those who were left homeless by the devastating waters of this storm. We sympathized with many, who 60 months later, still wake up in fear that history may once again be repeated.

Here is their story.

We first journeyed to the community of Petite Savanne, labelled as the hardest hit – a community which was virtually destroyed by landslides which accounted for two-thirds of the deaths from TS Erika. The destruction of the area forced the evacuation of over 800 people and was later deemed a special disaster area along with Pichelin, Good Hope, Bath Estate (Paradise Valley), Dubuque, Campbell, Coulibistrie, San Sauveur and Petite Soufriere.

While many from the agricultural community have relocated to the Government’s housing resettlement, about 60 individuals have chosen to stay; one of them is a 54 years old resident who uses the alias ‘Survivor.’

As the rain picked up on that fateful morning, he recalls gathering his family into a kitchen cupboard to ride out the storm. For hours, they heard the water “pelting down” on their rooftop eventually making its way into the house. Realizing they were no longer safe, ‘Survivor’ and the other members of his family, made their way over to a next-door neighbour, just moments before their house was swept away by a landslide.

Despite escaping death by just a few minutes, ‘Survivor’ has refused to leave his abandoned community. He shared his reasoning for that decision.

“I was born and raised in this community, as well as my parents and children, so leaving was never an option for me. This is where I built my home; this is where I toil the earth. This is where I am truly at peace.”

The same sentiments could also be heard from so many of the other individuals who chose to remain in the community, which five years later, has not had power or pipe-born water restored.

For many, staying was never an option. Nevertheless, walking away from the home which they built and the community which holds their dearest memories, did not come easy.

Over at the Petite Savanne resettlement project at Bellevue Chopin, we spoke to Claudia Samuel, who expressed gratitude for her new dwelling provided by the Government and admitted that daily, she misses her home and the livelihood which she left behind in her former community.

Mrs. Josephine Darroux, who lost several family members, also recounts the moment she almost lost her husband that morning.

“When I got up in the morning and I opened the door and I  looked through the window, I saw the ravine behind my house filled with water. I immediately called on my husband and he told me he’s going to unblock it. I stopped him, and my exact words to him was ”Don’t go out there before the water drives you down. A few minutes later the rain started pouring and that same ravine water came gushing down.”

In the comfort of her unaffected home, Darroux says that she personally witnessed the destruction of many of her neighbors’ houses by numerous landslides. Moments later, her home became a refuge for many others whose dwellings were destroyed.

Although her house is still standing, with minimal damage, Darroux said she had to make the heartbreaking decision, two days later, to leave her home which she had shared with her husband for over four decades.

“My husband had his cows, pigs, all his livelihood and we had to leave it all. As I was walking away there was nothing I could do but cry,” she stated.

Nevertheless, with the help of the Government, she says that adjusting to her new home five years later, hasn’t been too bad.

Dominica News Online (DNO), attempted to speak to a number of the relatives of those who passed away during the Petite Savanne disaster, however, their pain five years later, was still evident as they broke down in tears, unable to relive the dreadful past. One of those individuals is  Meredith Darroux who lost her entire family on August 27, 2015.

Another community which the storm wreaked havoc on was the west coast village of Coulibistrie. A once quiet stream, which flowed in the middle of the village, became a raging beast, washing away nearly everything in its path.

We had the privilege of meeting up with Rosema Dennis, a resident and first-hand witness of the river’s rage.

“That morning I woke up with the intention to do my laundry but I was monitoring the weather as I saw that it was raining. A few moments later, I went to wake up my boyfriend who was asleep to inform him that the river is higher than usual, but he told me that is normal and there’s nothing to worry about,” she recounted.

“I got a bit more concerned when I saw it going past the river wall. Out of nowhere, the water just uprooted a mango tree which was adjacent to our home and that’s when we knew it was bad. My boyfriend jumped from his bed and in less than no time, water was already inside of our home.”

Dennis went on to share that she sought rescue for herself and her newborn baby by a next-door neighbor and returned the next day to a home covered in debris and mud.

“Everything was either damaged or gone. I will never forget that day,” she said.

After the storm, Government announced that 18 acres of land would being acquired at Macoucherie to create a new development for residents of Coulibistrie, but to date, according to Dennis, very little information has been provided about this project.

She said the rebuilding process over the past five years has been difficult especially with affected residents having to absorb the burden on their own.

In the community of  Boetica and Delices, communication by land was cut off for more than 17 weeks. In relating the daunting experience, several of the bus drivers from the area that we spoke to, all said that for the short period, they felt trapped in their community as both points of entry into were cut off.

We heard the stories of persons using zipline and climbing rocks to access food in other communities.

Half a decade later, it is evidently clear that the events of Tropical Storm Erika are still fresh in the minds of many.