Yesterday we took a mini bus and guide south.
We went with Brisa, Lahaina and Zigzag. Our guide Dylan also worked for the National Parks. He took us through villages devastated by Hurricane Maria. We were all truly shocked.
We also went past a site of many acres where large hills of the old roofing sheets had be gathered after being ripped off by the wind. It gave a idea of the scale of the repair work required. What we had not expected was the destruction of the coastal villages at the bottom of river valleys.
Here millions of tons of boulders, soil and fallen trees had cascaded down from mountains and smashed and buried villages. Down at the southern tip of the island at Scott's Head the sea had swept in and destroyed many of the seafront properties and bars.
On route vast sections of road had been washed away or engulfed by landslides.
Up in the mountains we saw entire forests where the trees had been stripped of their branches. The upside is that nature is fighting back and new shoots and leaves are sprouting but it will take many years to fully recover.
The Dominican people are positive, resilient and welcoming. They have done a huge amount of work to clear up and repair, but there is still much to do.
Today we are going to some hill villages to distribute clothes, seeds and repair materials. We also hope to discuss methods we can all help financially.