Petite Savanne
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Petite Savanne (French for "little savannah") was a village on the southeast side of Dominica. It had an estimated population of 1,200 in 2015.{{cite web|publisher=International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies|date=September 5, 2015|accessdate=March 9, 2016|title=Emergency response: Dominica´s recovery|url=http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/news-stories/americas/dominica/emergency-response-dominicas-recovery-69327/}} The region the town was built on features some of Dominica's steepest terrain;[http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5651E/x5651e0b.htm Project page] for Petite Savanne-Pointe Mulatre Road, FAO. Retrieved October 16, 2006. the slopes were composed largely of silt and clay.
On August 27, 2015, Tropical Storm Erika produced torrential rainfall across Dominica, triggering catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides.{{cite report|author=Richard J. Pasch and Andrew B. Penny|publisher=National Hurricane Center|date=February 8, 2016|accessdate=March 9, 2016|title=Tropical Storm Erika|series=Tropical Cyclone Report|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL052015_Erika.pdf|format=PDF|location=Miami, Florida}} Throughout the nation, Erika killed up to 30 people and inflicted EC$1.3 billion (US$482.8 million) in damage.{{cite report|work=International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies|publisher=ReliefWeb|date=January 21, 2016|accessdate=March 8, 2016|title=Dominica: Tropical Storm Erika - Emergency appeal operations update no. 2 (MDRDM002)|url=http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/MDRDM002eu2.pdf|format=PDF}} Multiple landslides devastated Petite Savanne. At least 6 deaths 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.{{cite web|publisher=Government of Dominica|year=2015|accessdate=March 9, 2016|title=Dominica Suffers over Half a Billion Dollars Worth of Damage to Roads and Bridges|url=http://www.dominica.gov.dm/tropical-storm-erika/468-dominica-suffers-over-half-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-damage-to-roads-and-bridges}} Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit declared the village a special disaster area in light of the tremendous damage.{{cite report|work=Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency|publisher=ReliefWeb|date=August 30, 2015|accessdate=March 8, 2016|title=CDEMA Situation Report #4 - Tropical Storm Erika (as of 1:00 am on August 30th, 2015)|url=http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/CDEMA%20Situation%20Report%204.pdf|format=PDF|type=Situation Report}} A mandatory and permanent evacuation of all residents was subsequently implemented.{{cite news|publisher=Caribbean360|date=September 9, 2015|accessdate=March 8, 2016|title=Dominica govt permanently relocating residents of area worst affected by Tropical Storm Erika|url=http://www.caribbean360.com/news/dominica-government-permanently-relocating-residents-of-area-worst-affected-by-tropical-storm-erika|location=Roseau, Dominica}} The majority were to be relocated to Roseau.{{cite web|publisher=Government of Dominica|year=2015|accessdate=March 9, 2016|title=Evacuation of Petite Savanne|url=http://www.dominica.gov.dm/tropical-storm-erika/462-evacuation-of-petite-savanne}} 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.{{cite news|publisher=Cable Broadcasting Network 4|date=October 22, 2015|accessdate=March 9, 2016|title=“No sightseeing in Petite Savanne & Delices” |url=http://www.cbn4.com/2015/10/22/no-sightseeing-in-petite-savanne-delices/}}
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.{{cite news |title=New community planned for Dominica residents displaced by Erika |url=http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-New-community-planned-for-Dominica-residents-displaced-by-Erika-29408.html |accessdate=July 8, 2020 |work=Caribbean News Now |date=February 22, 2016 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20160402232937/http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-New-community-planned-for-Dominica-residents-displaced-by-Erika-29408.html |archivedate=2016-04-02 |url-status=dead}}{{cbignore|bot=InternetArchiveBot}}