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Wednesday 20 september 2017
At Press Time:

Hurricane Maria aims at Puerto Rico after slamming Dominica

By CARLISLE BAPTISTE a telephone interview from
DANICA COTO New York.
Associated Press She said she lost contact
ROSEAU, Dominica (AP) with the island around 4
— Dominica’s leader sent a.m. At that point, officials
out an emotional plea for had learned that 70 per-
help as Hurricane Maria cent of homes had lost
smashed into the Carib- their roofs, including her
bean island and caused own.
“mind-boggling” devas- “I lost everything,” she said,
tation, but an ominous adding there had been no
silence followed as the word on casualties. “As a
country lost all communi- Category 5 it would be na-
cations on Tuesday and ive not to expect any (inju-
the Category 5 hurricane ries) but I don’t know how
barreled toward Puerto many,” she said.
Rico, which looked likely to The island’s broadcast
take a direct hit. service was also down on
As rain began lashing the Tuesday and Akamai Tech-
U.S. territory on Tuesday af- nologies, a company that
ternoon, Puerto Rico’s gov- tracks the status of the in-
ernor warned that Maria ternet around the world,
could hit “with a force and said most of Dominica’s in-
violence that we haven’t People walk by a fallen tree off the shore of Sainte-Anne on the French Caribbean island of Gua- ternet service appeared to
seen for several genera- deloupe, early Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, after the passing of Hurricane Maria. have been lost by midday.
tions.” (AP Photo/Dominique Chomereau-Lamotte) The Ross University School
“We’re going to lose a lot of Medicine in Dominica
of infrastructure in Puerto Otherwise, you’re going to nections with the country falling silent, he appealed reported a widespread
Rico,” Gov. Ricardo Ros- die,” said Hector Pesquera, were cut. for international aid: “We loss of communication on
sello said, adding that a the island’s public safety “The winds are merci- will need help, my friends, the island, and relatives of
likely island-wide power commissioner. “I don’t less! We shall survive by we will need help of all students posted messages
outage and communica- know how to make this any the grace of God,” Skerrit kinds.” on its Facebook page say-
tion blackout could last clearer.” wrote before communica- The storm knocked out ing they had been unable
for days. “We’re going to The warnings came after tions went down. communications for the to talk to their loved ones
have to rebuild.” Dominica Prime Minister A few minutes later, he entire country, leaving since late Monday evening
Authorities warned that Roosevelt Skerrit sent out a messaged he could hear anyone outside Dominica as the storm approached.
people in wooden or series of dramatic posts on the sound of galvanized struggling to determine Dominica is particularly
flimsy homes should find his Facebook page as the steel roofing tearing off the extent of damage, vulnerable to flooding be-
safe shelter before the storm blew over that tiny houses on the small rugged though it was clearly wide- cause of its steep moun-
storm’s expected arrival on country late Monday — island. He said that even his spread. “The situation is tains, cut through with riv-
Wednesday. but then stopped suddenly own roof had blown away. really grave,” Consul Gen- ers that rage even after a
“You have to evacuate. as phone and internet con- In the last message before eral Barbara Dailey said in heavy rain. q

7.1 magnitude quake kills over 100 as buildings crumble in Mexico

Continued from Front that fell in a cloud of dust building, leaving her no
The quake came less than before her eyes, about 15 way out — until neighbors
two weeks after another minutes after the quake. set up a ladder on their
quake left 90 dead in the Morales said she was in a roof and helped her slide
country’s south, and it oc- taxi when the quake struck, out a side window.
curred as Mexicans com- and she out and sat on a Gala Dluzhynska was tak-
memorated the anniver- sidewalk to try to recover ing a class with 11 other
sary of a 1985 quake that from the scare. Then, just a women on the second floor
killed thousands. few yards away, the three- of a building on the trendy
Rescuers rushed to the sites story building collapsed. Alvaro Obregon street
of damaged or collapsed A dust-covered Carlos when the quake struck and
buildings in the capital, Mendoza, 30, said that he window and ceiling panels
and reporters saw onlook- and other volunteers had fell as the building began
ers cheer as a woman was been able to pull two peo- to tear apart.
pulled from the rubble. ple alive from the ruins of a She said she fell in the stairs
Rescuers immediately collapsed apartment build- and people began to walk
called for silence so that People search for survivors in a collapsed building in the Roma ing three hours of effort. over her, before someone
they could listen for others neighborhood of Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. A pow- “We saw this and came to finally pulled her up.
who might be trapped. erful earthquake has jolted Mexico, causing buildings to sway help,” he said. “It’s ugly, “There were no stairs any-
Mariana Morales, a sickeningly in the capital on the anniversary of a 1985 quake very ugly.” more. There were rocks,”
26-year-old nutritionist, 26, that did major damage. Alma Gonzalez was in her she said.
was one many who spon- (AP Photo/Enric Marti) fourth floor apartment in They reached the bottom
taneously participated in the Roma neighborhood only to find it barred. A se-
rescue efforts. mask and her hands were joined a rescue brigade to when the quake collapsed curity guard finally came
She wore a paper face still dusty from having clear rubble from a building the ground floor of her and unlocked it.q