A Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel has completed a week of disaster relief work in Jamaica following severe damage inflicted by Hurricane Melissa, with the service focusing on restoring key public facilities, the Royal Navy has said.
HMS Trent was sent to the island’s northern coast after what the Royal Navy describes as the most powerful storm ever to strike Jamaica. According to the organisation, the ship carried life-saving supplies and a specialist engineering detachment to Falmouth, where efforts centred on repairing the town’s hospital and a combined primary and secondary school.
The service stated that a 76-strong Crisis Response Troop from 24 Commando Royal Engineers replaced seven roofs at Falmouth Hospital, covering the structures with protective tarpaulins after rebuilding their frames. According to the organisation, the storm had stripped entire sections of the facility, including its laundry, dental and kitchen areas.
Marine engineers from the ship and the commando team worked with local authorities to restore water supplies and repair boilers, dryers and air conditioning units. “We’ve been working with some of the local engineers, working on the hospital’s boilers to get them back up and running, ultimately getting doctors and nurses in the best position to help the local community,” said Leading Engineering Technician Naomi Pearmine, quoted in the release. “Anything we can do to make their lives easier is worth doing.”
Sailors were brought ashore in small groups to clear rubble and clean hospital wards. The Royal Navy said these efforts allowed parts of the building to be used as a forward operating base and prepared the site for a potential field hospital.
The operation was carried out alongside Jamaican hospital and school staff, the Jamaican Defence Force, UK Aid, other national development agencies, and international bodies including UNICEF and the World Health Organisation.
With the relief mission complete, HMS Trent has resumed its Caribbean deployment supporting British Overseas Territories and conducting counter-narcotics patrols as part of Atlantic Patrol Tasking (North), the Royal Navy stated.
