Chantal hits islands

Barbadians were spared the wrath of Tropical Storm Chantal yesterday, but St Lucians and Dominicans were not as lucky.
In St Lucia, the fast-moving storm downed power lines and uprooted trees, while in Dominica fierce winds ripped the roofs off several homes and destroyed fields of bananas.
And the weather system was strengthening last night, threatening to turn into a hurricane as it churned towards the Dominican Republic and Haiti, while the authorities in Puerto Rico were warning of possible landslides and heavy flooding.
Here, the damage wrought by Chantal in Dominica can be seen in these pictures of a roofless business place and broken branches after the tree fell and blocked the road. (SP)
(Pictures compliments Caribbean Media Corporation.)