Extract from Private
Notice Question (Lords) on Hurricane Dorian
(Con): As my noble friend
will recall, lessons were learned from Hurricane Irma, one of which
concerned the speed of the response. Can he assure the House that
we are using the facilities at Brize Norton? If planes cannot land
at Nassau, they should at least land at the Cayman Islands and be
trans-shipped. Can my noble friend bring us up to date? Are we
using the facilities and heavy-lift equipment at Brize Norton on
the ground in the Bahamas now?
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office () (Con): My noble
friend raises an important point about lessons learned. I believe
that I have already indicated the importance of staying focused
after Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. On the specific issues
raised, RFA “Mounts Bay” was the only vessel that had the ability
to access the Bahamas. As many noble Lords know, the hurricane
stayed over the Bahamas and at one point moved at about 1 mph, so
for two consecutive days the Abaco Islands, in particular, were
battered quite considerably. We provided support at the first
point of access. The runway needed to be cleared to allow access
and the US has been leading in providing support in that respect.
In terms of the wider response, my noble friend talked about the
Caymans and so on. I have been pleased that, because of
co-ordination, we have seen support from the British Overseas
Territories—namely, the Turks and Caicos and the Cayman
Islands—in alleviating the suffering of the people of the
Bahamas, and that co-ordination continues...
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Written Ministerial
statement on Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and
First Secretary of State (): In the wake of Hurricane
Dorian, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their lives,
their homes or have been injured in the Bahamas and elsewhere.
Hurricane Dorian has caused untold damage to the islands of Abaco
and Grand Bahama in particular. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency
Management Agency (CDEMA) estimates that 15,000 people remain in
need of urgent humanitarian assistance—a number which is less
than was initially feared. The Government of the Bahamas have
officially confirmed 43 deaths.
To help the people and the Government of the Bahamas, the UK
Government have initially committed up to £1.5 million towards
the immediate humanitarian response. This funding has been
provided by the conflict, stability and security fund (CSSF), for
the delivery of critical aid supplies by the Royal Fleet
Auxiliary (RFA) Mounts Bay, and to support CDEMA in its work to
co-ordinate the international response. RFA Mounts Bay was
pre-positioned in the region ahead of hurricane season and is
carrying specialist equipment and vital aid supplies, including
hygiene kits, emergency shelter kits and water. The Royal Navy
Wildcat helicopter on board is airlifting supplies, conducting
reconnaissance flights and assessing damage. The UK was amongst
the first to provide support and we are now glad to see that the
international response is ramping up.
We have deployed a team to the Bahamas to help co-ordinate the
emergency response and ensure aid gets where it is needed. We
have also deployed additional consular staff to Nassau. They,
alongside Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff in London,
are working with the Bahamian authorities and international
partners to provide support to British nationals, and to scope
what, if any, further assistance may be needed.
The number of British nationals in need of support is anticipated
to be low. It is low season for tourists and we estimate there
were 200-400 British nationals in the worst affected areas. As
the only European mission in the Bahamas, the British High
Commission in Nassau has legal responsibility to provide consular
support for EU nationals. The FCO has been regularly updating its
travel advice.
The British High Commission in Nassau is working closely with the
United Nations, the United States, Canada, NGOs and other
partners in the region to support the Bahamian Government. Early
support was also provided by the Governor’s Office in Turks and
Caicos which is a British overseas territory. The Cayman Islands
have also sent a helicopter (jointly funded with the FCO).
The FCO, Department for International Development, Ministry of
Defence, and other Departments and agencies have worked closely
to prepare for the hurricane season. Since 2017, the Met Office
has developed improved advisory arrangements for the Caribbean,
and we have been working closely to gain a better understanding
of the technical data as tropical storms develop. A team of
experts from across Government was tracking this storm from its
development as a tropical depression over the August bank
holiday. This meant the UK Government were well prepared to
respond quickly in support of local authorities with our
resources pre-deployed in the region. We will continue to assess
the situation.
Any MPs who may be concerned about the welfare of particular UK
nationals in the Bahamas can contact the MPs’ hotline, details of
which have been emailed to all MPs’ offices.
