Cayman Islands soldiers have deployed to Jamaica for hurricane relief duty with counterparts from Bermuda and Turks and Caicos in a pair of historic firsts.
It is the first time Cayman soldiers have carried out operations abroad and the first time regional overseas territories have joined forces for “humanitarian assistance and disaster relief”, or HADR, work.
Major Graham Muir, the Cayman Islands Regiment’s training and operations officer, said, “The Cayman Islands Regiment exists to deliver a rapid, disciplined response to emergencies – whether at home or across the region.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners across the British Overseas Territories and the Jamaica Defence Force as recovery efforts progress and communities rebuild.”
A total of eight Cayman soldiers left the islands on Sunday, 15 Feb. to team up with Royal Bermuda Regiment and Turks and Caicos Island Regiment troops to help deal with the devastation wreaked by the massive Hurricane Melissa last October.
The joint overseas territories group will work with Jamaica’s military and other forces, with a focus on repairing roofs in St. Elizabeth Parish, in the south-west of the country.
The area was close to the landfall of Category 5 Melissa, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, and suffered huge damage.
Muir said Cayman’s troops were expected to work in Jamaica for two weeks in support of stabilisation efforts.
He added that the role would build on the force’s experience in helping to contain December’s avian flu outbreak, as well as its extensive HADR training in Grand Cayman and Trinidad.
Muir said the Jamaica deployment would be an “important opportunity” for troops to apply their specialist skills in an operational environment.
He added, “The Cayman Islands Regiment’s participation in this regional response demonstrates its growing capability, readiness and enduring commitment to Caribbean stability.”
Lieutenant Colonel Duncan Simons, the commanding officer of the Royal Bermuda Regiment, said the island had pledged support to Jamaica, where it has in the past trained with the JDF, in the wake of the hurricane.
“As we have close ties to both the Cayman Islands Regiment and Turks and Caicos Regiment, extending an invitation for them to join us only bolsters our strength and increases the impact we can have,” Simons said.
“It is also a demonstration of regional cooperation and interoperability and an opportunity to gain operational experience that makes us all stronger.”
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