Dominica Leader Weeps For His Country In Wake Of Deadly Hurricane

Jesselyn Cook

Days after Hurricane Maria ripped the roof off Roosevelt Skerrit’s home, leaving him “at the complete mercy” of the storm, the Dominica prime minister gave an emotional interview on live television about his rescue and the plight of his ravaged island nation.

“We’ve never seen such destruction. It’s unprecedented,” Skerrit told ABS TV in Antigua on Thursday, pausing a few times to wipe tears from his eyes. “Everywhere in Dominica has received a serious beating. Every part. If it was not by the wind, it was by the river.”

Maria, a Category 5 hurricane, flattened entire villages throughout the country, leaving a trail of uprooted trees, downed power lines, destroyed buildings and flooded streets.

The Caribbean island’s location and weak infrastructure make it especially vulnerable to natural disasters. It was still recovering from Tropical Storm Erika, which killed dozens of people in 2015, when Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck within a two-week period this month.

While Irma brushed past Dominica, Maria tore right through it ― leaving “almost complete devastation” in its wake, according to Skerrit.

The entire country remains without power and telecommunication services, he explained, making vital search-and-rescue missions even more challenging.

As of Thursday morning, survivors had “buried in excess of 15 people” in Dominica, which has a population of about 74,000, the prime minister said. But many parts of the country remain difficult to access, making it possible that the death toll will rise. At least 20 people are still missing.

“It’s just a miracle that we don’t have hundreds of deaths,” Skerrit added. “People were cramping themselves into kitchen cupboards to survive.”

Skerrit, who was forced to take cover under a mattress after his house was flooded and torn apart by the storm, will head to New York on Friday to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

He intends to ask other world leaders for support to aid Dominica’s recovery efforts. “Dominica’s going to need all of the help the world can offer,” he said.

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Damaged homes from Hurricane Maria are shown in this aerial photo over the island of Dominica on Sept. 19, 2017.
Damaged homes from Hurricane Maria are shown in this aerial photo over the island of Dominica on Sept. 19, 2017.
Damage at a restaurant in Le Carbet, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique on Sept. 19, 2017, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria.
Damage at a restaurant in Le Carbet, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique on Sept. 19, 2017, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria.
A motorist drives along the flooded waterfront in Fort-de-France, Martinique, on Sept. 19, 2017.
A motorist drives along the flooded waterfront in Fort-de-France, Martinique, on Sept. 19, 2017.
Strong waves driven by Hurricane Maria swept rocks onto a road in Le Carbet, Martinique, seen on Sept. 19, 2017.
Strong waves driven by Hurricane Maria swept rocks onto a road in Le Carbet, Martinique, seen on Sept. 19, 2017.
A man removes a branch in a flooded street in Pointe-a-Pitre, on the French island of Guadeloupe on Sept. 19, 2017, after the passage of Hurricane Maria.
A man removes a branch in a flooded street in Pointe-a-Pitre, on the French island of Guadeloupe on Sept. 19, 2017, after the passage of Hurricane Maria.
A picture taken on Sept. 19, 2017, shows the powerful winds and rains of Maria battering the city of Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe.
A picture taken on Sept. 19, 2017, shows the powerful winds and rains of Maria battering the city of Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe.
People walk amid fallen branches in a square after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on Sept. 19, 2017.
People walk amid fallen branches in a square after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on Sept. 19, 2017.
Shopping carts are seen in a flooded parking lot on the outskirts of Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on Sept. 19, 2017.
Shopping carts are seen in a flooded parking lot on the outskirts of Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on Sept. 19, 2017.
A picture taken on Sept. 19, 2017, shows the powerful winds and rains of Hurricane Maria battering the city of Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe.
A picture taken on Sept. 19, 2017, shows the powerful winds and rains of Hurricane Maria battering the city of Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe.
A picture taken on Sept. 19, 2017, shows Maria's winds moving over the city of Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe.
A picture taken on Sept. 19, 2017, shows Maria's winds moving over the city of Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe.
A man looks at a fallen tree as he walks along a street after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on Sept. 19, 2017.
A man looks at a fallen tree as he walks along a street after the passage of Hurricane Maria in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on Sept. 19, 2017.
A mail box lies on the ground after Hurricane Maria passed through Guadeloupe on Sept. 19, 2017.
A mail box lies on the ground after Hurricane Maria passed through Guadeloupe on Sept. 19, 2017.
A picture taken on Sept. 19, 2017, shows the powerful winds and rains of Maria battering Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe.
A picture taken on Sept. 19, 2017, shows the powerful winds and rains of Maria battering Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe.
People walk in a flooded street in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on Sept. 19, 2017.
People walk in a flooded street in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on Sept. 19, 2017.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.