Hurricane Irma statement

From Premier Hon. Alden McLaughlin
11 September, 2017

This weekend I participated in a video conference call with CARICOM heads of Government to get an assessment of the situation in the islands affected by Hurricane Irma.

The situation is not good for most of the Islands.

Since the passage of Irma through the region, we have been focused on working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to provide needed security and humanitarian assistance to the government and people in our sister British Overseas Territories.

We’ve already deployed the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service helicopter and crew to Turks and Caicos where they are now providing vital reconnaissance and operational support to the authorities.

On Saturday Cayman Airways flew an armed RCIPS unit to Barbados where they were picked up by the Royal Air Force and taken to Tortola, British Virgin Islands, to assist with law enforcement and relief. BVI is very grateful for our Police team on the ground, Bermuda has also sent officers and there are 100 UK marines and 55 UK Police officers arriving; already BVI are seeing an improvement in security.

Tomorrow (12) we will fly a humanitarian mission to Anguilla. A Cayman Airways 747-300 jet will take teams from the Health Services Authority, Health City Cayman Islands, Department of Environmental Health, Hazard Management and medical supplies, water, non-perishable food and toiletries that the Cayman Islands Government is providing to our British Overseas Territories’ brothers and sisters in Anguilla.

Getting the goods to Anguilla is only one part of the equation as we offer much-needed help. Once the medical teams and supplies are on the ground we will work with government officials to help ensure their safe delivery.

The teams we are sending will take their own food and supplies as they need to be self-contained. The last thing we want to do is to cause even more hardship on the people of Anguilla by using their supplies.

Most of us know too well the devastation and despair that arises in the wake of a hurricane, especially those of us who lived through our own catastrophic storms of Ivan in 2004 and Paloma in 2008.

We know well it was our neighbours from the region and our families and friends who ensured that we got much-needed supplies. It is time for us to pay it forward. Frankly Irma could have taken a path to Cayman and who knows, in the peak of hurricane season, where the next storm is going to strike.

I thank the men and women who will be traveling tomorrow in an effort to help ease at least some of the burden on Anguilla and her people. The initial plan is for them to be in Anguilla for two weeks.
In the run-up to and during Hurricane Irma we have had many people from BVI sheltering in the Cayman Islands as staff from businesses were relocated here to continue business operations. We are happy to continue to offer that shelter as businesses see they need to send their staff to safety.

These are our Sister British Overseas Territories, and whatever we can do to assist in this their time of dire need, we will do.

As I stated earlier, we are in the peak of hurricane season, so it is essential that we are all prepared throughout the region.

I pray that everyone remembers how important it is to not only stock up on your hurricane supplies, but to have a plan for evacuation either off Island, to a shelter, to inland property of family or friends or to stay home and ride out any potential storms. If you do decide to stay home, please ensure that your house is a safe place to remain.

It is my prayer that God spares these Islands from any other storms during this, the 2017 Hurricane Season.

END

IMAGE: Hurricanes Irma & Jose NOAA