The United Kingdom’s Caribbean based Royal Navy and the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment have completed a four-day Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Exercise (HADREx) in the Turks and Caicos Islands, practicing their rapid response to a hurricane or natural disaster in the region.
The HADREX took place 13 – 16 Sep 2021, in the Turks and Caicos Islands on the islands of Salt Cay and South Caicos. The Task Group consisted of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Wave Knight and its embarked Wildcat HMA2 helicopter, along with the Crisis Response Troop (CR Tp) drawn from 24 Commando Royal Engineers. The Patrol Ship HMS Medway supported the Task Group Staff who were controlling the Exercise. It simulated the tasks that would be required in the first 72 hours following a natural disaster.
The Task Group carries specialist equipment and emergency supplies for use in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. In addition to training and testing the Task Group, the HADREx also provided instruction and training for the recently formed Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Regiment. The TCI Regiment and Crisis Response Troop (CRT) focused on initial priorities following a real-life natural disaster. This included conducting road clearance drills and raising an emergency communications mast.
District Commissioner for Salt Cay, Mrs Almaida Wilson, said: “I appreciated the fact that they used Salt Cay for their training of the TCI Regiment. I am more confident that help will be on the way quickly if needed in the future however, I will still pray that we will not be in need of it due to a natural disaster.” DC Wilson was keen to acknowledge that the planning of the exercise took a number of weeks to prepare the South Shelter and work along with Mr Allan Dickenson to use his heavy-duty equipment in preparation of the exercise.
His Excellency the Governor; Nigel Dakin, Minister Hon. Arlington Musgrove and Colonel Ennis Grant flew into the island of Salt Cay on the Wildcat helicopter to monitor the Exercise. It was noted that the training in TCI, not only cemented plans for providing assistance in the event of a disaster, but also honed the skills and co-ordination of the Task Group team to the benefit of other islands across the Caribbean. Backing up the ships, there are personnel and additional equipment held at very high readiness in the UK, ready to fly into the region and support disaster relief efforts.
Captain Francis Glinton, of the TCI Regiment experienced a special training, as he embarked with the Royal Navy’s HMBS Medway on the 31st of August, 2021 in Antigua and was welcomed by the Caribbean CTG (Crisis Task Group). Over a two week period he participated in numerous patrols, conducted many assessments as well as planning exercises. Captain Glinton made great advancement in the organization of HADR (Hurricane and Disaster Relief) for the Turks & Caicos Islands which took place in Salt Cay and South Caicos from the 13th-16th, of September. He commented that, this was an extremely rewarding opportunity and he looks forward to more experiences similar to this in the near future.
The Commanding Officer RFA Wave Knight, Captain Ali Clack, commented that the HADREx provided a fantastic opportunity for the task group to interact with Turks and Caicos Islands ground and maritime forces, multiplying their own organic response to a simulated natural disaster by close cooperation between regiments on board and ashore. He added: “RFA Wave Knight is highly capable and well suited to disaster relief operations, able to project aviation and surface craft support to remote areas at range. The ship’s communications suite enables command and control to commence before arriving in the area.” RFA Wave Knight’s role is to deliver food, fuel, water and other essential supplies to Royal Navy and coalition warships. Thanks to Wave Knight, these ships can remain operational for months or even years at a time.
Dr Dawn O’Sullivan, Marine and Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment Doctor, said: “We all considered that the training was excellent, relevant and also exciting. The team from the Task Group were extremely professional and led by example. The scenarios were realistic and the skills taught to us, will go a long way to preparing us for future HADR situations.”
These types of exercises are conducted regularly. The last one took place in Montserrat in July. They are designed to develop our skills and to work with our partners in the six UK Overseas Territories and other regional states to build resilience in response to national disasters, focusing on the core hurricane season and it is a valuable opportunity to develop interoperability and disaster relief capabilities.
