Ariel image of the island Great Abaco, shows the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian. Image: UK Crown Copyright 2019

Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Mounts Bay has delivered essential aid to residents of Great Abaco in The Bahamas. The ship has distributed Department for International Development  relief items, including vital shelter kits.

A rigid-hulled inflatable boat was deployed from RFA Mounts Bay with a dedicated Humanitarian and Disaster Relief team to join up with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and unload vital aid to some of those who have been worst hit by the category five storm.

Image: UK Crown Copyright 2019

The ship has been in the Caribbean since June in preparation for the hurricane season and was re-tasked to sail to The Bahamas in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian, the strongest ever recorded in The Bahamas.

RFA Mounts Bay has embarked a dedicated Humanitarian and Disaster Relief team, and is carrying vital aid and specialist equipment, such as all-terrain quads, dump trucks, diggers and stores. It also stores DFID water carriers, hygiene kits including basic items such as soap, and shelter kits. Since Hurricane Dorian hit, a liaison officer from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and a DFID humanitarian expert have been onboard to help coordinate the relief efforts.

It also has a Wildcat helicopter that has been conducting reconnaissance flights over the islands to assess the damage and provide important intelligence to the Bahamian government and the team of DFID experts who have deployed to the region.

DFID’s team is working alongside The Bahamas Government’s National Emergency Management Agency and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, as well as other international partners, to assess the damage caused by the hurricane, and to plan the response.

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