Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the disaster in the Commonwealth of Dominica, where Tropical Storm Erika has killed at least twenty people and resulted in extensive flooding that has displaced families from their homes and interfered with search-and-rescue efforts. Numerous people remain missing.

“Along with the people of the Ninth Congressional District of New York, I remain in prayer for the victims of Tropical Storm Erika and their families and for the recovery of the Commonwealth of Dominica. An estimated eighty percent of the population now lacks electricity or clean water, and damage to roads and bridges has impeded efforts to search for survivors. In this time of crisis, the international community has a moral obligation and responsibility to provide all necessary assistance to the people of Dominica to rescue individuals who remain at risk and to initiate the process of rebuilding the nation. I will work with the Commonwealth of Dominica, the Department of State, relief organizations, and the community here in Brooklyn to support these efforts and to provide families with accurate information about the situation in Dominica. I ask that the people of Brooklyn demonstrate the compassion that defines our character as a civil society and contribute to relief efforts in Dominica. Let us continue to keep the people of Dominica in our prayers.”

For the latest information on the status of relief and recovery efforts in Dominica, please contact the District Office of Congresswoman Clarke at (718) 287-1142.

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the House of Representatives, a member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, as well as the Committee on Ethics and the Committee of Small Business. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.