TT soldiers get to work in Bahamas

ONE DAY after they arrived in the country, senior officers of the TT Defence Force (TTDF) met on Monday with the director of the Bahamas' National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Capt Stephen Russell and personnel from the Pacific Disaster Relief.

They met to co-ordinate operations for humanitarian aid and disaster relief with a focus on damage assessment and food distribution to citizens affected by Hurricane Dorian.

A TTDF press release said senior officers were airlifted by helicopter on Tuesday from their base in Nassau to do reconnaissance of the Grand Bahama Islands to determine strategic relief operations.
Areas of Freeport and East Grand Bahama were highlighted as the places where the TT task force would focus its damage assessment and food distribution. The task force will be briefed daily by Bahamas NEMA officials for tasks to be assigned and carried out.

On Sunday, 100 TTDF personnel left TT to provide disaster relief and security after Category 5 Hurricane Dorian obliterated communities in Abaco and Grand Bahama. Up to yesterday, the death toll stood at 50 but is expected to rise.

The task force is expected to stay for 30 days in the first instance.
In addition to soldiers, TT has donated US$500,000 to the Bahamian government towards the cost of medicine and other emergency supplies and also sent six technical experts from T&TEC to advise the country's electricity company on how to restore power to areas devastated by the hurricane.

A TTDF press release stated that senior officers were airlifted by helicopter on Tuesday from their base of operations in Nassau to conduct a reconnaissance of the Grand Bahama Islands to determine strategic relief operations.

Areas of Freeport and East Grand Bahama were highlighted as the places where the TTDF Task Force would focus operations for Damage Assessment and Food Distribution. The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Task Force will continue to be briefed daily by the officials from NEMA in Bahamas for tasks to be assigned and operations to be executed.

On Sunday, 100 TTDF personnel left Trinidad to provide disaster relief and security to the Bahamas in the aftermath of Category 5 Hurricane Dorian which obliterated communities in Abaco and Grand Bahama. Up to yesterday, the death toll stood at 50 but is expected to rise.

The TTDF Task Force is expected to stay in the Bahamas for 30 days in the first instance for relief operations. In addition to the provision of soldiers, TT has donated US$500,000 to the Bahamian government to offset cost of purchasing medicine and other emergency supplies and also sent six technical experts from T&TEC to the Bahamas to advise that country's electricity company on how to restore electrical power to areas devastated by the hurricane.