English: Pictured is medical support equipment at RAF Brize Norton ready to be flown to the Caribbean during the UK Military operation (Op Ruman) in support of those effected by Hurricane IRMA.

In early September 2017 Hurricane Irma moved through the Caribbean region, causing absolute devastation wherever it landed. The British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the British Virgin Islands suffered lasting damage.

All three services and other government departments, along with hundreds of troops were involved in the huge humanitarian effort. Ships, planes and helicopters delivered tonnes of supplies to the UK nationals and locals caught up in the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma.

RFA Mounts Bay had already been deployed to the area for Hurricane season and was able to offer almost immediate assistance. Her Wildcat helicopter and Mexefloat landed over 6 tons of supplies and personnel to offer both engineering and medical support to Anguilla, then the British Virgin Islands.

Soon after, the Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean was diverted from a NATO deployment in the Med to offer further assistance to the region. She sailed to Gibraltar to embark supplies, vehicles and building materials (mostly donated by the Government of Gibraltar). Four Royal Air Force (RAF) Chinook helicopters carrying aid for embarkation in Gibraltar flew from RAF Benson via fuelling stops in Spain.

RAF C17, VOYAGER and ATLAS aircraft deployed to the region carrying medical supplies rations, clean water and shelters along with specialist personnel from all three services. The aircraft landed first in Barbados which was used as a hub to distribute all aid. Further C17’s carrying Puma helicopters then landed on the US Virgin Islands- as it had the only usable runway in the effected region.

HMS Ocean arrived in the region later and over 250 hours of flying was conducted including 80 separate trips moving more than 1,000 people by air. The Royal Marines conducted almost 200 landing craft launches and recoveries, landing 600 people and stores across 17 isolated locations.

In total, HMS OCEAN delivered 8,300 man hours of engineering and logistical support enabling the recovery of critical national infrastructure alongside large scale clean-up operations across four separate island chains. She also evacuated 39 vulnerable British nationals from Dominica, one of whom was very seriously ill and received life-saving treatment on board.

By the 10th October the aid effort was winding down and HMS Ocean returned to her NATO mission in the Mediterranean. RFA Mounts Bay remained in the region ready to provide further assistance for the rest of the hurricane season.

• Organization: Army
• Object Name: ARMYHQ-2017-080-OP RUMAN0032
• Category: MOD
• Supplemental Categories: Humanitarian, Operations
• Keywords: Medical Care, Medical, Royal Air Force, Army, Royal Navy, Natural Disaster, Humanitarian Relief, Op, Operations, Medical Core, Op RUMAN
• Country: UK