The Governor and Premier have announced that the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) helicopter has been placed on standby for a deployment to assist the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) following the passage of Hurricane Irma.
The aircraft was made available following discussions between the Governor’s Office, Cayman Islands Government, the Crisis Centre in London and the Governor of TCI. It will deploy with a crew of 4 and will assist with an immediate damage assessment and the movement of key personnel including potential casualties. Other requests for support from the Cayman Islands are currently being assessed as the situation unfolds.
The UK has already positioned a ship in the disaster zone. RFA Mounts Bay and her personnel are on site in the Overseas Territories helping local authorities to restore vital support such as clean water, sanitation, temporary shelter and if required, medical assistance.
Over the next 24 hours British troops and engineers held at high readiness in the UK will deploy with helicopters to support the relief effort. The UK is also sending a command headquarters to co-ordinate efforts. Further the Royal Navy has diverted its flagship HMS Ocean, to bring the help that will be needed in reconstruction after the hurricanes have passed.
The Premier commented, “Air support following a major disaster is essential to assess the damage and save lives. We will not hesitate to provide all the help we can to other territories that have been so badly affected. I am very grateful to the RCIPS Air Operations Unit for volunteering for such an important task.”
The Governor commented, “TCI is currently unable to provide air support to its operations and the deployment of the RCIPS helicopter will provide significant help to the TCI Government at a crucial moment. The deployment is being coordinated with the crisis team in London and the RAF to ensure all aviation assets are used in the best possible way.”