Arriving at Bridgetown airport in Barbados yesterday, 12
September, the Foreign Secretary said:
We’re in Bridgetown in Barbados which is absolutely
crucial for the operation of British armed forces in
getting in huge numbers of men and supplies and police
officers into areas affected by Hurricane Irma, in
Anguilla, and the British Virgin Islands and the Turks
and Caicos.
It’s an extraordinary effort, the biggest military
effort by British services since Libya, and I really
think it’s starting to work, I think they’ve been very
well received. You’re seeing confidence starting to
rise on those islands, making some more announcements
tomorrow about some of the funding that’s coming
through.
But the key message that we’re making, we’re giving is
that we’re not just here to support these islands to
get back up on their feet, we’re here for the long
term. These are British people, and we’re here to help.
Visiting the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Anguilla
today, the Foreign Secretary said:
I’m here outside the hospital in Anguilla where they’ve
had huge amount of storm damage, about 60% of the
facility is damaged, but the Royal Marines, the Royal
Engineers are here and they’ve been putting it back on
its feet and steadily repairing it. A dozen or more
have just arrived with their tools and getting on with
the job of putting Anguilla back on its feet.
It’s incredible to see the resilience of the people
here, I’ve seen tree’s stripped of every leaf,
telephone poles snapped in 2, electricity poles torn
down, roofs blown off. Quite unbelievable destruction
but you can’t destroy the spirit of the these people.
After meeting the authorities and local communities, the
Foreign Secretary said:
I’m in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands and this
is the East End Area and we’re looking at, as you can
see, incredible devastation but it is starting to come
back on its feet and the UK is helping. £25 million
announced today by our government in addition to the
£32 million we’ve already pledged. We are getting on
with the work of sending our Armed Services around,
with the police helping to build up confidence on the
streets.
Yes there are difficulties distributing some of the
aid, getting water and food to the places we want it to
get to but slowly it’s happening and you’ve got the UK
government working very, very closely with the
authorities here in the British Virgin Islands.
What’s so incredible is the spirit of these Islands.
The hurricane can come in, it can knock down absolutely
everything in its path but it can’t bow or bend the
spirit of the British Virgin Islands.
