HMS Ocean arrived in the British Virgin Islands on Friday carrying 60 tonnes of aid to be distributed across areas devastated by hurricanes.
Nineteen people were killed in the past few days when Hurricane Maria ripped through the Caribbean islands and is ‘now near’ a British overseas territory, according to officials.
While an extra 650 military personnel have been transported to the region to help distribute aid and rebuild shattered housing – bringing the figure to roughly 2,000 overall.
HMS Ocean arrived in the British Virgin Islands on Friday carrying 60 tonnes of aid to be distributed across areas devastated by Hurricane Irma and Maria
A hurricane warning has been issued for the Turks and Caicos islands, with the eye of the category three storm ‘now near’ the British overseas territory, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.
The NHC said a ‘dangerous storm surge accompanied by large destructive waves’ could raise water levels by up to 12ft in the overseas territory, with an isolated rainfall deluge of up to 20ins.
As the hurricane rolled through the region and up towards Turks and Caicos, it skirted past the overseas territories of the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla, which were left devastated by Irma.
Nineteen people were killed in the past few days when the hurricane ripped through the Caribbean islands and is ‘now near’ a British overseas territory, say officials
Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon, said: ‘The sight of HMS Ocean dropping anchor in the British Overseas Territories will be welcome respite to those who have seen their islands battered by repeated hurricanes.
‘Ocean will help support the longer-term reconstruction of the Caribbean islands which have been devastated by this unprecedented hurricane season.
‘The fact that this is our largest operation worldwide underlines the scale of the damage caused and the Government’s commitment to UK citizens spread across the region and in need of our support.’
Brigadier John Ridge, second in command of the UK’s Joint Task Force, said early reports suggested little new damage had been caused by the second major hurricane in two weeks.
‘It is a huge relief that those two islands have not suffered as we had suspected they might do, and more importantly planned for – we planned absolutely for the worst,’ he said.
‘But we are not counting our chickens.’
Mr Ridge said Turks and Caicos would probably be battered by category one or category two winds, with the threat of storm surge and flooding also a possibility.
An extra 650 military personnel have been transported to the region to help distribute aid and rebuild shattered housing – bringing the figure to roughly 2,000 overall
‘Our concern is to make sure we are completely ready for what we might need to do in Turks and Caicos,’ he said.
He also revealed a team was sent into Montserrat on Thursday to review the damage.
With Maria having ravaged both Dominica and Puerto Rico, in the wake of the widespread destruction Mr Ridge said they had had a request for help in undertaking assessments.
Initial reports from Dominica suggest large-scale devastation, with 90% of buildings damaged or destroyed by the storm which made landfall with the island on Monday.
Also hitting Puerto Rico, it was the strongest storm in more than 80 years to sweep across the country – flattening homes and plunging the island into darkness after taking down power lines.
Mr Ridge said they took a ‘split team of half-civilian, half-military’ into Dominica on a Chinook helicopter on Wednesday following the request.
‘We have done that assessment and there are a number of nations involved in the response for it’, he said, adding that Maria has almost ‘completely destroyed their agricultural sector’.
He said the relief effort in Dominica was being co-ordinated by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) – with shelter, food and water being the critical aid requirement.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel described the situation across the region as an ‘unprecedented crisis’.
‘Our focus now is on making sure the islands affected have the right supplies in the right places to deal with the aftermath of the latest hurricane,’ she said.
More than 75 tonnes of DfID aid has already arrived in the region, which includes food, water, 3,000 shelter kits, more than 5,000 solar lanterns and 10,000 buckets.
So far, the Government has pledged more than £57 million towards the disaster relief.
A Red Cross appeal, boosted by the Department for International Development’s (DfID) aid match scheme doubling all public UK donations, has seen more than £2 million raised so far.
Ms Patel said: ‘The British public has once again shown its overwhelming generosity in a time of crisis by helping out the victims of hurricanes Irma and Maria.
‘This money will ensure food, water and shelter goes directly to those who need it most on the worst-hit islands.’
More than 75 tonnes of DfID aid has already arrived in the region, which includes food, water, 3,000 shelter kits, more than 5,000 solar lanterns and 10,000 buckets.