British High Commissioner, Janet Douglas, and Head of DFID Caribbean, Colleen Wainwright, met the first British troops arriving in Barbados for deployment to affected countries, to support the relief efforts in the wake of hurricane Irma. These troops will supply immediate manpower, emergency supplies and equipment to provide rapid assistance to affected communities.

Queen Elizabeth II and UK Prime Minister Theresa May expressed their sympathy for all those in the hurricane-affected islands of the Caribbean.

Janet Douglas said, “The United Kingdom stands in solidarity with all those impacted by Hurricane Irma throughout the Caribbean.”

The UK is working closely with CDEMA, local governments and other partners to bring much needed relief to hard-pressed communities. The following is an overview of the assistance being provided by the British Government to the islands of the Caribbean suffering the impact of hurricane Irma;

• £32 million of funding to assist those affected
• Four UK Aid humanitarian experts deployed to assist with needs assessments and coordination
• Royal Fleet Auxiliary Mounts Bay is providing immediate assistance, including Royal Engineers and Royal Marines to repair vital services ashore. The ship carries a range of equipment to support humanitarian responses including vehicles, tents and facilities to purify water.
• HMS Ocean is being diverted to the Caribbean in order to provide help with reconstruction once the hurricanes have passed.

Further updates will be issued as the extent of the damage is revealed.