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Earthquake strikes Dominica

Sarah Taylor

By Sarah Taylor,
in Dominica

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Sarah Taylor

Sarah Taylor

Posted
Posted

An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale has shook Dominica.

 

Initiation informtion from the Emergency Office in Roseau is that the earthquake has affected the northern town of Portsmouth which a church was damaged. Search and Rescue has been deployed but access is difficult as the area is cut off by heavy rains and landslides which occurred this past week. (The landslides cut off Grand Fonds to the north with a population of 500).

 

Lets all say a prayer or 2 for these folks. The Quake affected Dominica Guadeloupe St Lucia Guyana

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ColoradoLad

ColoradoLad

Posted
Posted

Strong Earthquake Shakes Caribbean Islands

 

Sun Nov 21,12:17 PM ET

AP Latin America

 

By ELLSWORTH CARTER, Associated Press Writer

 

ROSEAU, Dominica - A strong earthquake shook the Caribbean islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe early Sunday, destroying at least a half dozen buildings and injuring several people.

 

 

 

The temblor had a preliminary magnitude of 6.0, said John Minsch, a seismologist at the U.S. National Earthquake Information Service. Its epicenter was about 28 miles north-northwest of Dominica, near the Guadeloupe archipelago of Les Saintes.

 

At least six houses were destroyed and others were damaged in Terre-de-Bas, one of the islands in the chain, private Radio Caraibes reported.

 

Several people were injured in mainland Guadeloupe in the southern towns of Trois-Rivieres and Basse-Terre, the radio station reported. The injuries were not serious.

 

In Dominica, several homes and buildings were damaged in the northern part of the former British colony, including three churches, national disaster coordinator Cecil Shillingford said.

 

No injuries were reported in Dominica, Shillingford said.

 

The facade of a Roman Catholic church collapsed in Portsmouth, north of the capital, Roseau, said Ian Douglas, a parliamentary representative from the area.

 

There was nobody in the church at the time. Sunday services were previously canceled because Catholics in Dominica were celebrating a special feast in the southern part of the country.

 

Portsmouth's hospital also suffered damage and patients were evacuated to a nearby building, Douglas told state-run Dominica Broadcasting Corp.

 

The earthquake lasted several seconds and was felt as far away as Antigua and Barbuda, some 125 miles north of the epicenter. No damage was reported there.

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pholter

pholter

Posted
Posted

I received an email from Reynold of Reyno Tours regarding the damage of the Island. It sounds like no one was hurt or killed - thank God! There was alot of damage in some residential areas as well as some churches, hospitals, and other public buildings. They have asked for financial aid from other countries to help them rebuild.

 

Let's keep these great folks in our thoughts. Tourism on the island is very important to help them rebuild and keeping food on their tables each day. Please don't forget to buy your souveniers in Dominica and use them independently for shore excursions so all the money goes to them instead of the cruiseline getting the biggest cut.

 

If you would like further information on the island or booking a fantastic island tour, contact reynotours@hotmail.com

 

These are such wonderful people!!!

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photobug

photobug

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the link to Reyno Tours. We will be on the December 13th,

10day sailing on the Dawn Princess. I justed booked a tour with

Reynold Alcendor for December 19th and he seems like such a nice person.

Also, he says, there is room for 8 more on this tour. Thanks for the info.

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sbrailey

sbrailey

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Posted

Hi. Just got back from the Nov 21st sailing of the Destiny. Had a fabulous time and will hopefully write a review once I get some of this work off my desk.

The earthquake in Dominica caused the closing of the ariel tram thru the rainforest. I have no idea how long it will be closed, but they have concerns regarding the stability of the footings/tressles so they weren't operating while we were there. Try to check with your cruise line or the website for the tram before arriving.

I hope to write more about Dominica 'cause we just loved it. The damage wasn't terrible, but every bit is a problem in such a poor country.

We had a terrific time with Reyno's people. You should know that you can choose where you want to go. We wanted to do the gorge and it was no problem. We had Vrana (I think....I don't have my book with me!) as a guide and she was incredible!! Swimming thru the gorge to the waterfall was one of the coolest things I've ever done. Cold water, quite a current and tons of rocks but just incredible. Magnificent island with delightful people. Elivis was our guide at the gorge and was quite the master. Works for tips, that's it. He was treated well by our group...simply remarkable. Thoroughly enjoyed this excursion and the island. Contact Reyno and tell him what you want to do and he'll take care of you.

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thestokes

thestokes

Posted
Posted

We were on Dominica the day before Thanksgiving and the earthquake did not prevent us from seeing anything on the Reyno Tour. The guide was great and she knew everything about the island. We liked that there was a separate guide and driver. Enjoy!

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sbrailey

sbrailey

Posted
Posted

I completely agree with the above posts. Our tourist dollars should go to the local folks. And one thing to add to my post re: the earthquake, especially for those who have concerns about dealing with the locals.....my daughter dropped her Sign and Sail card in the van on the way in (we had to show them to get into the terminal area). We didn't realize it until we tried to get on the ship. Went back out to re-trace our steps. Went to the van area and Reyno was running towards us with the card in his hand on his way to the ship to give it to us!! They want their customers to be happy, feel good and enjoy their island as much as they do. And I'll add yet another plug for seeing the Ti Tu Gorge and swimming to the waterfall. It was truly remarkable. Let me know if you have any questions!!

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