BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Sep. 13, CMC  (Adapted) – The United Kingdom has deployed a team of specialists to the Caribbean to help mitigate the impact of impending storms threatening British Overseas territories.

According to Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, 87 engineers, medics, maritime experts and other specialists have joined the regular crew of RFA Mounts Bay, which is the mobile hub of the British relief effort.

He added that approximately 1,000 personnel are deployed or being held at high-readiness for if further storms head towards the region.

“I want to assure everyone in our Overseas Territories that our Armed Forces have been pre-positioned in the region and are absolutely prepared to help,” Williamson said. “We will be there to support during this hurricane season while still helping those whose lives were devastated by Irma and Maria to rebuild their lives and homes.”

Last September, several homes were  destroyed and infrastructure decimated when Hurricane Irma and Maria, two of the most powerful hurricanes for decades, hit the region back-to-back .

As well as being able to carry vital aid and equipment, RFA Mounts Bay will use the Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter on board to provide aerial support. RFA Mounts Bay is one of three Landing Ship Docks in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) troop, consisting of Royal Engineers from the British Army and Royal Marines, have been training with their French counterparts in Martinique to ensure they are fully prepared.

This training is part of a six-month deployment to the region for hurricane season, while RFA Mounts Bay also carried out a significant HADR exercise in July.

Some islands are expected to be impacted by Tropical Storm Issac on Thursday, raising concerns about the physical damage it could wreak.

(See:  Britain sends 90 experts to help with threat of Caribbean storms    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/britain-sends-90-experts-to-help-with-threat-of-caribbean-storms-k9np23gwd?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1536847091

 

The RFA Mounts Bay visted Montserrat on Friday after the passage of Tropical Storm Isaac from 12 p.m. on Friday September 14. A release from the Governor’s office had advised: “The officials from the ship will be meeting with local stakeholders and members of the MOD who are currently on island a part of the UK’s Hurricane response efforts to the region. The media are ‘united’ (invited) to a huddle with officials at Little Bay playing field before the departure of Mounts Bay. This is scheduled from 14.30 to 15.00 pm. 

 

From RFA Mounts Bay Retweets, following the visit

 

BrigJohnRidge

 

@BrigJohnRidge

 

Mounts Bay tweeted: The Montserrat JFHQ team carrying out a last minute check on the turtles at the sanctuary and the full Operational Liaison and Reconnaissance Team back in the UK ready for whatever we are asked to do next. It was great to see the people of#Montserrat again today. A fleeting visit whilst MNTS is in the area on standby during this Core Hurricane Season. MNTS has now resumed our previous tasking however will remain in striking distance the OTs until November.

Below are some images of the visit

BrigJohnRidge

 

@BrigJohnRidge

 

Captain and

@CommandoCaribb1

from

@RFAMountsBay

visiting

@UKinMontserrat

Deputy Premier, Director of Disaster Management and other representatives of #Montserrat Goverment

 

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Sept 11, CMC – Hurricane Isaac was inching its way towards the Lesser Antilles on Tuesday after losing steam and downgraded to a strong tropical storm over the Central tropical Atlantic.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said that the storm, located near latitude 14.6 North, longitude 48.1 West, has sustained maximum winds of 70 miles per hour (mph) and was about 880 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.

“Isaac is moving towards the west near 14 mph.  This general motion is expected to continue through the end of the week. On the forecast track, Isaac should move across the Lesser Antilles and into the eastern Caribbean Sea on Thursday,” the NHC said.

TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, Jul. 29,   CMC – The United Kingdom (UK) Foreign Office Minister for the Overseas Territories, Lord Tariq Ahmad, of Wimbledon will visit the territory between July 31 and August 1 to discuss hurricane preparedness and view progress on recovery.

Lord Tariq Ahmad

As part of his two-day visit, the government  says that Lord Ahmad and Premier Dr.   Orlando Smith will visit a number of public sites affected by last year’s hurricanes.

During his visit, Lord Ahmad will be updated on the how the UK’s support is helping recovery efforts and will officially hand over the new purpose-built temporary Court House to the Government.

This court house will allow the Supreme Court and Magistrates’ Court to “function fully while a permanent building is constructed,” the statement said.

  Lord Ahmad will also visit the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Mounts Bay, which will remain in the region throughout the hurricane season to provide rapid assistance to islands, if needed.

RFA is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the UK’s Ministry of Defense, whose purpose is to support the Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world.

The BVI Government said Lord Ahmad will meet with the Board of the Recovery and Development Agency “to be updated on their progress and efforts to deliver the six-month accelerated plan ahead of endorsement of the longer term Recovery and Development Plan by the House of Assembly.”

“The UK has played a critical role in assisting the region to recover from last year’s unprecedented and devastating hurricanes, providing aid and support to help British Overseas Territories,” said Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, ahead of the BVI visit. “However, I know there is still more to be done before the islands are fully recovered, and the UK stands ready to help.

“We are already working with partners across the Caribbean to make sure plans are being put in place to prepare for future hurricanes, so we do not see a repeat of last year’s destruction,” he added.

The BVI Government said Lord Ahmad will also “seek to address concerns about the UK’s Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act when he meets with Premier Smith and the Cabinet.”

In addition, Lord Ahmad will meet with members of the financial services industry, and business and tourism representatives.

BRUSSELS, Jul. 17, CMC – The European Union on Tuesday signed three new agreements with St. Lucia, Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda,to support post-hurricane recovery and reconstructions efforts.

The agreements were signed on the margins of the second EU-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Foreign Ministers meeting. 

They were signed by Stefano Manservisi, Director-General for International Cooperation and Development, with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and CARICOM Affairs of Dominica, Francine Baron, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of St Lucia representing CARIFORUM, Sarah Flood-Beaubrun and Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda, Karen-Mae Hill .

The financing agreements amount to €30 million.

Some countries in the Caribbean  were everely impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria last year .

In the case of Dominica, damages and losses were calculated at 226 per cent of GDP, while the destruction on the island of Barbuda resulted in the evacuation of the entire population to Antigua.

The €11 million programme for Dominica will support the implementation of the national recovery plan through budget support.

The €5 million programme for Antigua and Barbuda aims to support housing reconstruction for low-income families and the €14 million programme with CARIFORUM will support the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency (CDEMA) in further enhancing the region’s disaster preparedness and response capacity.

The three programmes are part of a larger package of €74 million adopted this week.

The package that will support the  region to “build-back-better” and promote resilience vis-à-vis future natural hazards, follows from the pledge made by the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, at the CARICOM-UN high level conference in New York in November 2017.

Manservisi also signed the Addendum to the National Indicative Programme for Jamaica following the mid-term review, with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith.

The additional €20 million will target initiatives in the area of citizen security.

Meanwhile,  a €15 million disbursement on the sugar programme for Jamaica was agreed.

This payment was made in recognition of the progress made by the Jamaican Government in the transformation of the sugar industry over the past ten years.

Jamaica’s sugar sector has transformed to become more competitive, increasing productivity and environmental sustainability, whilst supporting young people and social challenges in sugar-dependant areas.