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A small Canadian military team is on the ground in Jamaica in preparation to provide assistance to that country as it tries to recover from Hurricane Melissa.
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The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency announced Nov. 2 that Canada was deploying a military team to Jamaica in response to the natural disaster. In addition, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) was also putting staff on the ground, the agency announced.
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“Canadian Forces operational support hub will be stood up at Kingston Airport, with JDF (Jamaica Defence Force), as a critical staging area for incoming supplies,” the agency pointed out in its update.
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Steffan Watkins, an independent researcher in Ottawa who monitors movements of aircraft and ships, said publicly available tracking information showed a Royal Canadian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft flew into Jamaica on Nov. 3 and returned to Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario on Nov. 4.
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The Department of National Defence confirmed the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency’s statement and Watkins information in an email Wednesday night.
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“On November 3, the Canadian Armed Forces deployed a small team to Jamaica following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa,” DND spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin stated in an email to the Ottawa Citizen. “This team of approximately 20 members will activate the Operational Support Hub near Kingston, Jamaica and assist Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to complete a comprehensive assessment of on-the-ground needs.”
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Poulin noted that, by activating the Operational Support Hub, the Canadian military would enable follow-on support for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations as determined by GAC.
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Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, hit Jamaica on Oct. 28, leaving significant damage and killing at least 32 people. Another 43 died in Haiti as a result of landslides and flooding caused by heavy rainfall from the storm. The death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are discovered, and damage has been reported in countries throughout the Caribbean.
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Teams from the United States, El Salvador and other nations already have personnel on the ground to help aid efforts. The U.S. military announced Tuesday on social media it had sent helicopters, transport aircraft and personnel.
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HMS Trent, a British Offshore Patrol Vessel, with a 75-member crew, has arrived in Jamaica and will send engineers and other staff ashore to provide technical aid to support recovery efforts, the government of the United Kingdom announced Nov. 4.
