Dominica offers to send troops to aid US hurricane-battered cities

by Paul Charles
Caribbean Net News Dominica Correspondent

Monday, September 5, 2005

ROSEAU, Dominica: Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said on Friday that his country would provide para-military personnel to assist with humanitarian work in the southern US states ravaged by Hurricane Katrina on Monday.

Skerrit said Dominica had a responsibility to provide humanitarian assistance to the US states of Louisiana and Mississippi which were battered by the category four hurricane. 

"We in Dominica have a fundamental responsibility to respond and react in a tangible way," he said.

Skerrit said the US government has accepted an offer to provide specialist police officers from his country. 

The Dominican leader said the local special services unit was on standby to be flown to the disaster zone where they would assist their US counterparts in various roles. 

"We've offered to send some of our special services unit to assist the authorities in Louisiana and Mississippi. 

"They're now working on getting the officers to the United States," he said of the US authorities late Friday.

Skerrit did not announce the number of troops preparing to leave for the US and how long they would be on duty there. 

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