The NH-90 helicopter of the His Majesty Zeeland landed in Dominica for a reconnaissance flight at which time an evacuation was carried out. (Dutch Defence photo)
THE HAGUE--The Dutch Navy ship His Majesty Zeeland, which has been assisting St. Maarten after Hurricane Irma, has been deployed to Dominica to provide much needed emergency aid following Hurricane Maria.
The Navy ship is being deployed in Dominica based on an urgent request by the government of this country after Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc there on Monday, The Dutch Ministry of Defence announced in a press release on Friday.
The Zeeland will assess the damage, carry out medical evacuations and bring relief supplies to the island. This assistance will not have an adverse effect on the massive relief operation in St. Maarten, the Ministry assured.
The Zeeland’s board helicopter MH-90 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force has already carried out a first reconnaissance flight to Dominica. Four injured persons, of whom two were severely wounded, were transported right away to the local hospital. In the next days, the Zeeland will execute several assessments of the damage to facilitate a quick and efficient emergency aid response.
Several countries assisted with the acute situation St. Maarten in the first days after Hurricane Irma, including Dominica which sent a cargo of fresh produce. The relief operation in St. Maarten, largely carried out by Dutch Defence, is in full swing.
The Dutch Government also found it important to show international solidarity and to support Dominica. The assistance to Dominica is paid from the budget of the Dutch Ministry of Development Cooperation.
The devastation left by category five Hurricane Maria on Dominica is enormous: 95 per cent
of the roofs are damaged or destroyed, many residents have no current and the communication system has crashed. Dominica has 73,000 inhabitants and is one of the poorest countries in the Caribbean.
