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Dominica's prime minister rescued in midst of Category 5 Hurricane Maria

Posted at 10:31 PM, Sep 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-18 22:31:00-04

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit confirmed on his Facebook page on Monday that he was rescued as Hurricane Maria hit his small island nation.  

Hurricane Maria made landfall just before 10 p.m. ET on the island of Dominica with top winds of 160 MPH. Skerrit's roof was one of many that were ripped off as Maria came on shore. 

"My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding," Skerrit said just before being rescued. 

Hurricane Maria is the second Category 5 hurricane to strike the Caribbean in the last two weeks. Hurricane Maria is following a similar path as Hurricane Irma, which devastated parts of the Caribbean before coming on shore in Florida on Sept. 10.

Local radio reports said that parts of Dominica are flooded, and there has been roof failure at a local hospital. 

Dominica has a total population of 73,000 residents.