Alan Duncan: Government providing £12 million help those affected by Hurricane Irma
2 min read
The Government is providing millions of pounds in immediate assistance for those affected by Hurricane Irma, Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan has said.
Royal Marines and Army personnel are also on their way to the Caribbean with equipment to help in the relief effort.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon will also chair a meeting of Government's emergency Cobra committee this afternoon.
In a Commons statement, Sir Alan said the category five storm has wreaked “catastrophe” in the region, killing ten people so far.
He said the British overseas territory of Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands received the hurricane’s full force, resulting in “severe damage”.
The minister said a Royal Navy ship had been dispatched to the region.
"The ship carries Royal Marines and Army engineers and her primary test is to protect our overseas territories. She is loaded with a range of equipment, vehicles, tents, stores and hydraulic vehicles specifically intended to respond to disasters like this,” the minister said.
"We really have complete overall concern particularly for our overseas territories which are affected and to that end we have £12m immediately available through our rapid response mechanism for disaster relief and recovery."
The Department for International Aid is also ready to charter flights to deliver additional supplies as appropriate.
Sir Alan added: "Our priority is to support the territories' governments in meeting their humanitarian and security needs including shelter, water, and accommodation. We have four UK humanitarian experts in the region who are helping to coordinate the response.”
Elsewhere in the statement, Sir Alan responded to criticism that Britain had not done as much as France for its Caribbean dependencies.
He said: “The relationship between overseas territories and their parent countries differs. Whilst French territories are directly governed, that is not the case with our overseas territories. While this means that our responses will be different we will seek the same objectives and are taking immediate steps to do so.”
Meanwhile, Theresa May discussed the damage caused by Hurricane Irma in a phone call with French President Emmanul Macron.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "They agreed the devastation it had wreaked was terrible, with unconfirmed reports emerging of a number of fatalities.
"They agreed to cooperate closely, including with the Dutch, to understand the extent of the damage and to coordinate our relief efforts."
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