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Former West Indies Captain, Brian Lara, arrived in Dominica on Monday morning as a special envoy from  the Trinidad and Tobago  government’s newly sworn-in Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley , to determine the country’s needs post Tropical Storm Erika.

“You are family and when you suffer we suffer and we are here to help,” Lara said at a special ceremony held at the Canefield Airport upon his arrival. “We stand in solidarity with the people of Dominica during this challenging time.”

He said Rowley has great concerns for Dominica.

“I am here to really have a look,” he remarked. “My Prime Minister has great concerns for Dominica at this time and it is demonstrated by my presence here today. I know I am not going to like what I see and as I said, if you suffer we are suffering as well and I will be taken back home with messages and everything I see that is happening in Dominica.”

He noted that government of Trinidad and Tobago and its citizens sympathizes with, “the loss of lives, the loss of property and the monumental damage that has been done by Tropical Storm Erika.”

“We recognized that there are a lot of people that have been displaced, evacuated from their villages, unable to return from their homes…” he said.

He said his country’s government stand ready to support Dominica.

“I know over the last couple of weeks we have helped through our air guard in coordination with CDMA, and we stand ready to continue that support as we work alongside the rest of the regional and international partners as we try to assist Dominica in a very coordinating manner,” he stated.

Meantime Foreign Affairs Miniser, Francine Baron, said the island continues to suffer damages from heavy rainfall.

She stated, however, that the government is working towards the country’s recovery.

“There are a number of different areas that have been affected and still affected,” she noted. “We have two communities that are still cut off …, that’s Boetica and Delices. The only access is by air and there are two other communities where they had to evacuate residents after they were deemed unsafe.”

Baron thanked the government of Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the CARICOM, among others, who are willing to assist Dominica.

Lara also met with Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit.