The Office of the Prime Minister says that during the course of today coordination has been taking place between the various agencies tasked to provide assistance to Dominica.

These agencies include the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministries of National Security, Foreign and Caricom Affairs, the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, the National Helicopters Services Limited (NHSL), the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), Caribbean Airlines and the  Immigration Department.

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago is mobilizing to send assistance to the Commonwealth of Dominica, a statement by the Office of the Prime Minister said.

The statement said that coordination is currently taking place under the leadership of the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs.

It is envisaged that as soon as it is safe, a National Helicopter Services Limited helicopter will be sent to Dominica with Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force personnel.

Hurricane Maria roared over the small nation of Dominica late Monday as a monster Category 5 storm, causing “mind boggling” devastation, according to the country’s prime minister.

Maria, the second major storm of the month, slammed into Dominica with potentially catastrophic winds of nearly 260 km/h, ripping roofs off homes on the island of about 73,000 people.

“Initial reports are of widespread devastation. So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace,” Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit wrote in an emotional Facebook statement.

Hurricane Maria has intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson wind scale and is expected to strengthen further, the US National Hurricane Centre says.

Hurricane Maria is now about 55 kilometres northeast of Martinique, with maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometres per hour, the Miami-based weather forecaster said on Monday.