Petite Savanne (French for "little

savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

") was a village on the southeast side of

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...

. It had an estimated population of 1,200 in 2015. The region the town was built on features some of Dominica's steepest terrain; the slopes were composed largely of silt and clay. On August 27, 2015,

Tropical Storm Erika Tropical Storm Erika was one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters in Dominica since Hurricane David in 1979 Atlantic hurricane season, 1979. The fifth Tropical cyclone naming, named storm of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane seaso ...

produced torrential rainfall across Dominica, triggering catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides. Throughout the nation, Erika killed up to 30 people and inflicted

EC$ The Eastern Caribbean dollar ( symbol: EC$; code: XCD) is the currency of all seven full members and one associate member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The successor to the British West Indies dollar, it has existed si ...

1.3 billion (US$482.8 million) in damage. Multiple landslides devastated Petite Savanne. At least 6 fatalities occurred in the community and a further 14 people were reported missing. A total of 217 homes were destroyed there, accounting for almost 60 percent of the total homes destroyed by the storm. Prime Minister

Roosevelt Skerrit Roosevelt Skerrit (born 8 June 1972) is a Dominican politician who has been Prime Minister of Dominica since 2004; he has also been the Member of Parliament for the Vieille Case constituency since 2000. Regionally, he has served as the chairman o ...

declared the village a special disaster area in light of the tremendous damage. A mandatory and permanent evacuation of all residents was subsequently implemented. The majority were to be relocated to

Roseau Roseau (Dominican Creole: ''Wozo'') is the capital and largest city of Dominica, with a population of 14,725 as of 2011. It is a small and compact urban settlement, in the Saint George parish and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the Roseau Ri ...

. The village was initially isolated for several days, and only accessible by sea or air even a week after the storm. Owing to unstable terrain, the area was declared unsafe and off-limits to all travel for more than two months after Erika. The destruction of Petite Savanne forced the evacuation of 823 people; the village was later deemed uninhabitable and a new town needed to be built elsewhere. Plans for a new settlement, comprising 500–1,000 homes, were established in February 2016.

References

{{Settlements in Dominica Populated places in Dominica Saint Patrick Parish, Dominica