Hurricane Melissa: 39 pictures of helpful Royal Navy sailors repairing hospital and school in Jamaica

The Category Five storm hit the island with 185mph winds and left destruction in its wake. A total of 45 people have died in the disaster, with 15 more still missing.

Portsmouth-based warship HMS Trent was deployed to Falmouth to support stricken communities in the northern coastline. Carrying life-saving aid and specialist personnel, the ship’s company and a Crisis Response Troop focused on restoring vital public services.

Their priority has been to repair Falmouth Hospital and Falmouth All Age School – for primary and secondary age children – while also carrying out damage assessments on health centres, such as GP surgeries, advising on what repairs need to be made. Particular focus has been on the hospital, where the Crisis Response Troop – a 76-strong team of disaster relief experts from 24 Commando Royal Engineers – helped replace seven roofs which were blown off in the storm. These covered the dentist, laundry room, and kitchen.

The engineers rebuilt the structural skeleton of these building, covering them in a special tarpaulin to protect them from the elements while proper repairs are made. Personnel then restored the water supply to the hospital by fixing drums and pipes. They proceeded to tackle the boilers, laundry driers, and air conditioning units.

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Marine Engineer Leading Engineering Technician Naomi Pearmine, from the Isle of Wight, said: “We’ve been working with some of the local engineers, working on the hospital’s boilers to get them back up and running, ultimately getting doctors and nurses in the best position to help the local community. Anything we can do to make their lives easier is worth doing.”

Sailors were brought ashore, 24 at a time, to clear rubble and clean wards, making the hospital suitable to be used as a forward operating base and to pave the way for the creation of a field hospital. The children’s ward was fully cleared, as well as post-surgery areas, while sailors also mopped up the kitchen – with it now almost ready for food preparation again. Trent’s Medical Officer helped assess medical supplies, seeing what could be salvaged and what needed to be disposed of.

Sailors brought 120 aid boxes ashore, full of hygiene supplies. Almost ever room in the school was cleared, with children expected to return at the end of the month. HMS Trent is continuing to patrol the Caribbean, supporting British Oversea Territories and carrying out counter-narcotics operations.