UK launches hurricane preparedness plans for overseas territories in the Caribbean

LONDON, CMC – The United Kingdom (UK) Government has announced new measures to ensure British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean have the support they need in the event of a repeat of the devastating hurricanes that hit the region last year.

The British Government said its departments “have been putting plans in place to bring together humanitarian, military support and diplomatic work under a joint unit coordinated by the Foreign Office”.

It said the Royal Fleet Auxilliary (RFA) Mounts Bay, a Navy ship deployed to the region since 2017, will remain in the vicinity of the Caribbean throughout the hurricane season this year and also for 2019.

Experts have also been deployed to the region to lead negotiations on a number of commercial contracts, in advance of peak hurricane season, to deliver essential recovery needs.

Plans for a multi-national coordination cell in the Caribbean to coordinate partner countries and organisations are being made “to make sure efforts aren’t being duplicated across the region and to make immediate responses more efficient,” the Government said.

It has coordinated meetings involving representatives from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) “to ensure a joined-up approach to hurricane preparedness”.

The statement said emergency humanitarian supplies in the form of over 1000 collapsible jerry cans, 1,000 hygiene kits and up to 1,000 shelter kits have been pre-loaded onto RFA Mounts Bay, “which will remain in the region for the hurricane season and be on hand to provide life-saving emergency assistance as required”.

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