Landslides, Flipped Cars and Hibiscus Flowers in Dominica

 As week two comes to an end,  I am finding myself more educated about Dominica than I ever thought I would be. This past Thursday, instead of driving along the coast, we took to the mountains and traveled to the areas of the island that were hit hardest by Tropical Storm Erika that came through back in August 2015. Walking around the damaged areas made it seem like everything had just happened a few days ago, like time had frozen, but in reality no one has the financial means or time to recover from everything that has been destroyed. Houses were collapsed and abandoned. Roads were still blocked by fallen rock and down trees caused by landslides to the point where our drivers had to turn around and find detours to get around. When we arrived, everything was dusted in dirt and rocks and newly formed streams. Walking around, I found shoes and broken televisions half exposed in the rubble and cars that had been torn apart as if they were composed of paper. It was one of those moments where I realized the impact that nature truly has on our lives.  Among all the damage, there were still hibiscus flowers and coconuts planting their new roots wherever they had landed. Words and pictures can’t do justice  to the feeling that I had walking through the disaster area and feeling so small standing next to piles of rocks knowing that everything had just been sitting for months and people are still displaced from their homes. As I continue to learn more about this beautiful place, I start to see the scars it has developed and I hope they start to heal in the near future.