The Governor, Andrew Murdoch CMG, accompanied by the Minister of National Security, the Hon Michael Weeks JP, MP, visited the deployed soldiers of the Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) during their humanitarian assistance mission in Jamaica.
In his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the RBR, the Governor was able to see the troops as they rebuilt homes wrecked by Hurricane Melissa, which struck Jamaica just over four months ago.
His Excellency visited homes that had been repaired and went to sites still being reconstructed by the incredible Regiment volunteers.
The visit enabled the Governor to see several sites across Black River, Middle Quarters and Thornton in St Elizabeth parish, where he met families as they watched their homes being repaired. The homeowners were clearly incredibly grateful for the work being carried out.
His Excellency also assisted the reconstruction teams as they worked tirelessly in difficult conditions. He was impressed by the quality of the work, which met local building standards and contained design elements to withstand future severe weather events.
The Governor remarked: “It was very humbling to see the conditions the Jamaican communities are still living with many months after the category 5 hurricane hit.
“While reconstruction work has been undertaken continually since November, and the RBR deployment contributed to that vital work, there remains so much still to do.
“The Regiment worked on homes identified as a priority by Jamaican authorities, which noted that work would continue to repair homes until at least the end of 2026.”
His Excellency said: “The deployment is an excellent example of collaboration between different armed forces. The RBR deployed to Jamaica in a jointly planned operation with contingents from the Cayman Islands Regiment and Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment.
“The Overseas Territory forces, under the operational command of the RBR, worked alongside members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and Ghana Armed Forces. Each military brought specialist construction and engineering expertise and they worked highly effectively in mixed teams.
“I was so proud to see the men and women from the Regiment work on such a vital mission. It was well planned, well led and the morale amongst the troops was wonderful to see. The funding of the RBR deployment by the Government of Bermuda was money extremely well spent.”
During his visit the Governor took the opportunity to meet the JDF Chief of Defence Staff Vice Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman, to discuss the deployment. VAdm Wemyss-Gorman was grateful for the contributions of the visiting forces and noted how well the troops were able to swiftly integrate with her soldiers.