Streets across Dominica turned into fast-flowing rivers that swept up cars as Tropical Storm Erika pummeled the eastern Caribbean island, unleashing landslides and killing at least four people.
The storm, which forecasters said could reach Florida as a hurricane on Monday, knocked out power and water supplies on Dominica as it dumped 15 inches (38 centimetres) of rain on the small island and headed west into the Caribbean Sea.
An elderly blind man and two children were killed when a mudslide crashed into their home in the southeast of the island, said Police Superintendent Daniel Carbon. Another man was found dead near his home in the capital of Roseau after a mudslide, but the cause of death was could not be immediately determined, Carbon said.
Police said another 20 people have been reported missing.
Erika was centered about 175 miles (280 kilometres) west of Guadeloupe, and was moving west at 15 mph (24 kph) with maximum sustained winds that had slipped slightly to 45 mph (75 kph), according to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami.
Erika was expected to move near Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands yesterday and be near or just north of the Dominican Republic today as it heads toward Florida early next week, possibly as a hurricane.
Chris Landsea, a meteorologist at the hurricane centre, said the storm could dissipate if it passed over Hispaniola or Puerto Rico or it could gather and pose a potential threat to Florida next week. "The uncertainties are very high," he said. As the storm entered the Caribbean, it did the heaviest damage to Dominica, an island of about 72,000 people of lush forests and steep terrain. Authorities were still conducting a full damage assessment after rivers surged over their banks and walls of mud surged into homes.
About 80 per cent of the island was without electricity, and water supply was cut off, authorities said. Trees and light poles were strewn across streets as water rushed over parked cars and ripped the scaffolding off some buildings. The main airport was closed due to flooding, with water rushing over at least one small plane.
The main river that cuts through the capital overflowed its banks and surging water crashed into the principal bridge that leads into Roseau.
"The capital city is a wreck," policewoman Teesha Alfred said. "It is a sight to behold. It's a disaster."
Erika was likely to hit the island of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, said chief forecaster James Franklin at the National Hurricane Centre.
