Face Off With Hurricane Dean Preparation and Recovery
Private Ryan Tracey,
Headquarters Jamaica Defence Force
(Civil Military Affairs)
JDF Credit Union suffered extensive damage.
The world watched in awe as the first hurricane for the season pummelled its way through the Atlantic as a destructive Category Four hurricane with its sights set on Jamaica. To the relief of the nation, Hurricane Dean veered off the seemingly intended path and scraped Jamaica some 50 miles off its southern coast.
Notwithstanding that the hurricane changed its predicted course and the preparations made for its arrival, Jamaica suffered severe structural damages and the military was not spared.
Immediately following the blow, members of the Jamaica Defence Force were mustered to full strength; many were deployed to assist various national agencies in their post hurricane recovery efforts, while others focused on the recovery work at their units or at designated installations.
Damage to the Cricket Pavilion at Up Park Camp.
Providing military aid to civil authorities is a primary responsibility of the Jamaica Defence Force, and covers humanitarian and disaster relief missions. Such assistance falls under the umbrella of Operation Olive Branch. With prior warning of the approach of Hurricane Dean, the military attached a Liaison Officer with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, the national coordinating agency for disaster relief management. Following the impact of the Hurricane, requests for military assistance were directed to this centralized office where they were accorded required levels of priority.
The Jamaica Defence Force’s Air Wing was central to the military’s response in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. The Unit initially dispatched a light observation helicopter to record aerial footage of the damage; DVD copies of which were shared with the media. Continuous aerial surveillances were conducted with the police to stop unauthorized gatherings and possible looters, even as Public Emergency was declared. Simultaneously, medical evacuations were done from rural parishes to the Corporate Area hospitals. The Air Wing also facilitated damage assessments by both public and private organizations which included reconnaissance of power lines and slinging of telecommunications towers in assistance to utility companies.
Fallen trees.
The engineers of 1 Engineer Regiment (JDF) also played a vital role in the recovery effort both nationally and on the military bases. Due to its role, the Unit is responsible for the pre-disaster preparation and post disaster recovery. Therefore, prior to the arrival of Hurricane Dean, the Unit braced the JDF for the blow by battening up buildings and adjusting its electrical supply.
Immediately following, the engineers walked through and inspected power lines in order to effectively bring all systems online to the generator centre which it manages. In the interim, however, portable generators had to be placed in critical areas such as the medical station, rations’ store, and understandably, at the headquarters of the JDF and the JDF Air Wing, which at one time had all aircraft airborne in support of the recovery effort. Simultaneously, the engineers engaged in cleaning up the bases, removing the battens, securing exposed roofs, cutting up and carting off fallen trees and limbs.
Soldiers working in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Possibly, one of the Engineer Regiment’s most important functions was to cost the damage assessment to JDF’s installations. At the same time, the Unit placed engineers with the Government’s teams that conducted the overall assessment of damage to Jamaica.
Indeed, the damage caused by Hurricane Dean was widespread in the JDF. Every unit in the JDF was affected in some way. The evidence was in the fallen trees and blown off roofs. The rapid rallying of the troops however made the damage seemed less as they worked quickly to restore normalcy to the bases and units. |
