Dominica digs out from Erika’s damage

ROSEAU, Dominica – Rescue crews jumped off boats and trudged Saturday through mud, rocks and uprooted trees to reach communities cut off by a tropical storm that killed at least 20 people and left nearly 50 missing in the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica.

Volunteers helped carry food, water and clothes for dozens of Dominicans who have been isolated for up to three days after Tropical Storm Erika dumped some 15 inches of rain this week on the mountainous island.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit pleaded for international aid, saying the damage pushed Dominica back by two decades. He met Saturday with members of a newly created committee charged with helping rebuild an island that officials said was devastated by floods and landslides.

“It’s a very daunting task,” said opposition leader Lennox Linton, who met with Skerrit. Heavy floods destroyed hundreds of homes and roads across Dominica. At least 20 people were still missing in the southeast village of Petite Savanne, considered one of the hardest hit areas.

“They are not expected to be found,” Linton said, warning the number of dead and missing would likely rise.

But Erika is dead – at least for now.

The system dissipated into an open wave Saturday while in the Caribbean near Cuba. TThe National Hurricane Center gave Erika’s remnants a low chance of regenerating. If so, it’s expected to aim toward Florida’s west coast or panhandle.

Meanwhile in the Pacific near Hawaii, Jimena turned into a powerful Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph.