ST. JOHN'S, Antigua and Barbuda, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- "Thank our motherland, if there was no strong support from the Chinese government, it would have been impossible for us to come out of hurricane-stricken area safely," a Chinese overseas worker transferred from Dominica told Xinhua recently in Antigua and Barbuda.
Category 5 hurricane Maria landed in Dominica on Sept. 18 evening with a speed of 260 km a hour, killing at least 15 people and leaving 20 missing as of Thursday.
The hurricane devastated the Caribbean island country with a population of 70,000, resulting in electricity cuts and water loss, transportation and communication disruptions, and food shortages.
To save 464 trapped Chinese there, China's diplomatic services and overseas companies have transfered them in two batches on Friday and Monday to Antigua and Barbuda.
China's embassy in Antigua and Barbuda, along with overseas Chinese companies and members of the local Chinese community, as well as both governments, overcame a number of hurdles to complete the transfer.
Zhang Haichang, manager of a Dominican project with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), told Xinhua on Wednesday that after the hurricane, two staff members walked for eight hours from CCECC's camp, 20 km away from the capital of Roseau, to China's embassy in Dominica to give a message to contact headquarters in China.
Upon learning about the situation at the camp, the headquarters established a special instruction team and drafted a rescue plan. Since the camp was destroyed by the hurricane and stored food was soaked with water, Zhang on Friday led all staff to climb up hills and wade over rivers over almost nine hours and finally reached Roseau.
They temporarily took shelter in a cricket stadium built by the Chinese government in 2005, and flew to Antigua and Barbuda on Monday.
Despite being understaffed, the Chinese embassy in Antigua and Barbuda has spared no effort to accommodate the Chinese workers. The embassy itself is still reeling from hurricane Irma that hit on Sept. 5.
The hurricane hit the island of Barbuda, destroying 90 percent of its buildings, cutting water and power supplies and leading to many casualties and huge property losses.
Chen Sichang, deputy manager of CCECC, who took a helicopter in adverse weather conditions to express solicitude in front of the trapped workers, said the company will do its best to complete the re-settlement of its staff.
