PIARCO – ONE hundred soldiers of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) have returned after providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief to the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.
The National Security Ministry in a release said they arrived on Monday night at the Piarco International Airport aboard a Caribbean Airline flight and were welcomed by Chief of Defence Staff Air Commodore Darryl Daniel.
Daniel applauded them on being excellent ambassadors of TT during their deployment.
He congratulated the team on their quick mobilisation during their 30 days on the ground in the Bahamas and the dedicated assistance they provided in coordinating relief operations alongside the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The release stated, “TTDF Task Force Commander to the Bahamas Major Derron McClean expressed gratitude to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago for their overwhelming support during the team’s deployment to render assistance to the people of the Bahamas.
“Major McClean described the troops’ experience in the Bahamas as humbling, as the level of devastation witnessed on the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama was extensive.”
While in the Bahamas the TTDF troops performed specific duties in the Grand Bahama area, including:
- Conducting Damage Assessments in Freeport, High Rock, Pelican Point and McLeans Town on the Grand Bahama Island;
- Security assistance along with the RBDF at critical locations;
- Clearing of fallen trees;
- Packaging and distribution of hurricane relief items.
