It is early in the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season, but preparations are well in hand if Anguilla or any other British Overseas Territory were to be struck by a hurricane or other disaster as time passes. The people of Anguilla have just witnessed an urgent deployment of equipment and manpower for practice by the UK Ministry of Defence which provides much hope for a rapid and sustained response.
That proposed response came by way of an impressive entry into the island of a detachment of Royal Engineers and Marines with various types of equipment, including tractors, diggers, trucks and all-terrain vehicles, which were landed at historic Crocus Bay on Tuesday, July 3, in an invasion-like manner. The practice deployment was from the RFA Mounts Bay, now on a year-round naval presence in the Caribbean to provide a rapid response to any emergency in the territories.
The men and the humanitarian and disaster relief equipment were brought ashore aboard the Mexe Flote, a large barge-like vessel, which ran up onto the beach in the presence of a number of Government officials, members of the public and media representatives. RFA Mounts Bay, which arrived in Anguilla on Monday night from Tortola, remained at anchor at a considerable distance while the Mexe Flote made its way to the shoreline and a Wild Cat Helicopter hovered over the area.
Governor Tim Foy, OBE, who experienced the vicious onslaught of Hurricane Irma, which devastated Anguilla just two weeks following his arrival, was among those on hand for the roll-out during the two-day visit of the auxiliary ship. “Today is part of the preparations we have been working on closely with the Disaster Management here in Anguilla. Our RFA Mounts Bay is based permanently in the region to come to the assistance of any of the Overseas Territories affected by disaster,” he told reporters. “What the crew is doing is what they would do in the event that we need assistance. They have brought in their Mexe Flote, and a range of vehicles which are typical of what they would have, and they are just going to practice the disembarkation and embarkation. Another thing to notice is that part of the crew from Mounts Bay will be down at the Princess Alexandra Hospital today working closely with Superintendent Malcolm Webster to do some basic work needed there at the moment, given the amount of very good repair and rehabilitation work that has gone on there. I think it is a good illustration of Mounts Bay’s capability, but also the UK’s determination to stand by Anguilla in the event that it gets hit by another hurricane – please God, we don’t.”
Acting Chief Minister, Mr. Evans McNiel Rogers, commented: “Let me take this opportunity, on behalf of the Government and people of Anguilla, to thank the Governor and the British Government for their assistance in terms of hurricane disaster relief. This is just another area whereby we need to be cognisant of [disasters] and the need to be prepared. I was once asked about the five Ps – Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance – and this display here this morning is just for us to be prepared in the event that there is another hurricane of the likes of Irma.”
Mr. Rogers, whose substantive responsibility is Minister of Health and Social Development, continued: “These folks will be at the Princess Alexandra Hospital to help with some cleaning and tidying up work. A lot of work has taken place there and they are going to help with that. I am hoping also that they would at least give us some sort of indication whereby we will be able to get some of this equipment to be on the island in time to come.”
The Commanding Officer for RFA Mounts Bay, Captain Peter Selby, had this to say: “This is the UK Government’s ship in the region for the next two years. We are here for this hurricane season; we were here for last hurricane season; and we will be here next year again, ready to respond to any humanitarian disaster or natural disaster [within a few hours]. The equipment is mainly for the demonstration of the capabilities I have on board. We are doing a small-scale task at the hospital over the next 24 hours, and some of the vehicles will be supporting that. I will also be doing some communications exercises for myself to make sure that I am pretty ready for this year’s hurricane season.”
Earlier, Captain John Cook, of the Royal Engineers, said: “I am here as part of the humanitarian and disaster relief troop and we have been put onto the beach by the Mexe Flote. We have a variety of vehicles which allow us to move around on the ground with technical and medical teams and to do some heavy engineering work. It is just part of our exercise for two days, doing a variety of tasking including renovating the hospital. We are also doing some proffing of [communications] in case we are deployed here in the future. We are dropping off medical supplies and cot beds for disaster relief, and looking at key infrastructure while we are here.”
An informal press conference, at the scene of RFA Mounts Bay’s arrival, was wrapped up by Ms. Melisa Meade, Anguilla’s Director of Disaster Management. “It is good this morning for the tasking of the ship…to see how prepared we are for the hurricane season. This is to ensure that we can improve on things that didn’t go so well in 2017, and that we are better prepared for this 2018 hurricane season. There is always room for improvement such as what we are doing here now – looking at how we can better coordinate and collaborate with the ship so that we are more effective in the resources available to us. I think we could have done better in the area of communications, and we are hoping to do much better this season and other seasons coming up.”
Ms. Meade added that the financial assistance “has not necessarily been increased to allow us to improve our preparedness, apart from the support that has been given to us from the UK though the grant facility [the 60 million pounds in humanitarian aid] that I am quite certain persons are aware of. Apart from that, we have to utilise various means and tools available to us so that we can better communicate with persons – including better use of social media.”
The display of support for Hurricane Irma-ravaged Anguilla, as demonstrated by the UK Government, the Governor’s Office, RFA Mounts Bay and its crew, is a matter of much appreciation and gratitude on the part of the Government and the people of Anguilla.
