We the undersigned urge the government of the Commonwealth of Dominica to construct an essential bridge to reconnect Dominica. In 2015 TS Erika destroyed the village of Petite Savanne making it a dead end along with its neighboring village Delices to the north.

Lack of safe and faster access to villages in the South East has significant Socio-economic, Health and Wellness impacts:-

1. There is a Golden Hour for victims of stroke and heart attacks. A high number of the population in this area are older and have a higher chance of these types of incidents. This bridge is essential for the best possible outcomes for the areas.
2. On many occasions villagers in Delices and Petite Savanne find themselves consoling fraustrated and unhappy tourists who want to complete the circle but have to turn and go back and not having the opportunity to experience all the villages as they planned.
3. Huge economic setbacks for farmers, fishermen, venders and motorists as the longer journey time now from Delices to the capital is 1 1/2  if you can get there as opposed to 45 mins the shorter safer route via Petite Savanne.  The tiring and longer journey requires more petrol, an increasingly expensive commodity now and additional vehicle maintenance driving up the overall cost of goods for residents and farmers to deliver their goods.
4. Challenges getting fresh fish and supplies from neighbouring fishing villages in the South.
5. Directly braking traditional family links / and communication, dislocating and separating families. For example, 'On Sunday November 6th, a young man from Bellevue Chopin who visited family in Delices found himself stranded along with 10 others between two mudslides in the disastorous NewFoundLand area on his way home.'
6. Currently we are experiencing an increase in the number of slides in the Morne aux Delices and NewFoundLand areas on par with TS Erika , i.e where we have lost electric, telephone, mobile services and access for an extended period as there was no alternative route.  Our high school and college students were unable to attend school, city workers unable to go to work, building materials unable to be delivered to those who are still rebuilding after Hurricane Maria and Erika etc., for over a week due to the blockages.
7. These blockages reemphasize the risks and danger to access to the capital and emergency services and the need for a safe access through Petite Savanne connection.
8. The inability to enjoy living in Delices and working in Roseau or elsewhere disrupts the economic and social fabric including family life. This takes away the productive and young talented and educated minds from the villages distrupting the continuum of leadership, intergenerational collaboration, participation in civic life via community based-organizations.
9. The longer ride to Roseau affects village students learning and ability to participate in extracurricular activities.
10. We are an already traumatized people with the advent of TS Erika, Hurricane Maria, a pandemic and Monkeypox.  We are easily triggered whenever it is raining and having to travel through a disaster area every day certainly raises anxiety levels as we are fully aware of what can happen at any moment. It is not an nice feeling.

Therefore, with these impacts we have a sound a case t ask, 'When will the bridge be reinstalled?' If not Now then When? Surely it cannot be that the bridge cannot be because Petite Savanne was declared as a disaster zone, since Paradise Valley in Bath Estate, Petite Soufriere, Good Hope, Dubique, Pichelin, Coulibistrie, Campbell and San Sauveur were all declared as disaster zones in 2015 by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, yet still they have main roads running through them.  It cannot be an issue of money as some 127 million was recently spent to develop the South East roads and ZERO on the Petite Savanne / Delices road, a main artery. Even farmers/feeder roads received some 13 million. How can this be right?

Besides, now with the advent of climate change, it becomes even more critical to reinstall that bridge especially as we experience more destruction to our only exit. (Morne aux Delices and NewFoundland area) to Roseau (work, food, school, medical, etc) is having multiple mudslides as of November 6, 2022 to present.  The foundation of the road there is mostly built on soil and with the saturation of water from water systems underground that is overfilled and above is a land-slide path, it is certainly a disaster waiting to happen.  This access is unsafe and uncertain and the good news is Delices/Petite Savanne access is safe, and certain evidently with being no mudslides or or overfilled underground water systems with the advent of recent rains in the South East.

Why continue to play Russian Roulette with people's lives? Every South East traveler life matters. Will someone have to die? What about the economy that is being killed  and people who are left to be further isolated and traumatised.

We are, therefore, requesting that Dominica be reconnected by reinstalling the Ma Molina bridge as a matter of urgency. Seven years is way too long for a tiny island to be disconnected. Please build the bridge in case of emergency; save lives and South East economies.

We are looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Debra Charles-Mark

On Behalf of South East Communities