15°15′15″N 61°16′10″W / 15.25417°N 61.26944°WPetite Savanne (French for "little savannah") was a village on the southeast side of Dominica. It had an estimated population of 1,200 in 2015.[1] The region the town was built on features some of Dominica's steepest terrain;[2] the slopes were composed largely of silt and clay.[3]
On August 27, 2015, Tropical Storm Erika produced torrential rainfall across Dominica, triggering catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides.[4] Throughout the nation, Erika killed up to 30 people and inflicted EC$1.3 billion (US$482.8 million) in damage.[5] 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.[6] Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit declared the village a special disaster area in light of the tremendous damage.[7] A mandatory and permanent evacuation of all residents was subsequently implemented.[8] The majority were to be relocated to Roseau.[9] The village was initially isolated for several days, and only accessible by sea or air even a week after the storm.[1][7] Owing to unstable terrain, the area was declared unsafe and off-limits to all travel for more than two months after Erika.[3]
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.[10]