Earthquake rocks Dominica, Guadeloupe

22 November 2004

An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale shook the tiny islands of Dominica and Guadeloupe at 9.27 am on Sunday November 21, 2004 .

Initial information from the Emergency Office in Roseau , Dominica is that the earthquake has affected the northern town of Portsmouth where a Roman Catholic Church and the Methodist Churches were damaged. At least two dozen structures were damaged. The northern half of the island of 70,000 residents was without electricity because the earthquake damaged a power transformer. A Search and Rescue Team has been deployed but access is difficult as the area is cut off by heavy rains and landslides which occurred last week. The landslides cut off Grand Fonds to the north with a population of 500.

The Dominica Red Cross has indicated that there were no reports of injury and that they are still evaluating the situation. The Red Cross assisted in evacuating a number of people (number to be confirmed) from the general hospital in Portsmouth which suffered some damage and provided 60 cots to National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) to assist with the evacuation. All schools on the northern side of Dominica have been closed because the buildings' strength and stability are not certain.

A meeting was held this morning with the Red Cross, NEMO and Government Officials. Details of the meeting will be provided at a later time.

In Guadeloupe , there were reports that a young child was crushed to death when a wall collapsed at his home in the southern coastal town of Trois-Rivieres . Several houses were destroyed and others were damaged in Trois-Rivieres.

Reports also indicate that a man was hospitalized after he jumped from an upper floor of his home in the southeastern coastal town of Capesterre-Belle-Eau .

The initial quake was followed by several aftershocks, including two with a 4.9 magnitude.

The earthquake lasted several seconds and was felt as far away as Antigua and Barbuda , some 200 kilometres north of the epicentre. No damage was reported there. The epicentre was about 45 kilometres north-northwest of Dominica , near the Guadeloupe archipelago of Les Saintes.

At least eight homes were destroyed and 25 others damaged in Terre-de-Bas, one of the islands in the small chain, about 20 kilometres off Guadeloupe 's southern coast.

About 10 people, including a woman who suffered a heart attack, were evacuated to mainland Guadeloupe from Les Saintes and hospitalized in stable condition with minor injuries. Some areas were without telephone service and electricity.