Scroll on to read more about the story of Hurricane Maria, which ravaged the Caribbean in late 2017. Learn about how Dominica in particular was impacted by a combination of factors.
Hurricane Maria was a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated Dominica, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico in September 2017. It is regarded as the worst natural disaster on record to affect those islands and is also the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Jeanne in 2004. Maria wrought catastrophic devastation to the entirety of Dominica, which suffered an island-wide communication blackout. Much of the housing stock and infrastructure were left beyond repair, while the island's lush vegetation was practically eradicated.
Dominica, known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world possesses the most pristine wilderness in the Caribbean. Originally, it was protected by sheer mountains which led the European powers to build ports and agricultural settlements on other islands
Roseau (Dominican Creole: Wozo) is the capital and largest city of Dominica, with a population of 14,725 (as of 2011). It is a small and compact urban settlement, in the Saint George parish and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the Roseau River and Morne Bruce. Built on the site of the ancient Kalinago Indian village of Sairi, it is the oldest and most important urban settlement on the island of Dominica."
Portsmouth is the second largest town in Dominica, with 2,977 inhabitants. It lies on the Indian River on Dominica's northwest coast, in Saint John Parish. Cabrits National Park is located on a peninsula to the north of town. Portsmouth has its own sea port in Prince Rupert Bay. Portsmouth was initially chosen as the capital of Dominica, but only served in that capacity in 1760. After malaria broke out there the same year, the capital was moved to Roseau, where it remains.
The southwestern part of Dominica, just south of Roseau is surrounded by a mountainous region. Morne Anglais and Morne Plat are among the islands tallest mountains. Their steep nature and proximity to a highly populated area creates a high degree of risk for near by residents.
Loubiere sits near by on the coast at the base of three large mountains. There are two rivers which originate in the mountains and end at the coast. River Gillon and River Canari. Loubiere sits at the confluence of these two rivers. This makes it a prime risk candidate in the event of extensive rainfall or storm surges.
Indeed that is what happened during hurricane Maria. With winds topping 190 MPH, and extensive rain, this region was particularly badly damaged by flooding, landslides, and rock falls. As you can see from the map, dozens of homes were washed away by the flash floods from these two rivers.
However, it wasn' just Loubiere which was affected. There was widespread damage on the island, including the most populous city of Roseau. Overall, the hurricane damaged the roofs of as much as 98% of the island's buildings, including those serving as shelters; half of the houses had their frames destroyed. Its ferocious winds defoliated nearly all vegetation, splintering or uprooting thousands of trees and decimating the island's lush rainforests. The agricultural sector, a vital source of income for the country, was completely wiped out: 100% of banana and tuber plantations was lost, as well as vast amounts of livestock and farm equipment.