Irma relief still arriving despite continuing storms in Caribbean

Even as the damages from Hurricane Maria are still being assessed in Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, more relief continues to arrive to the storm-ravaged region. A 747-400 freighter operated by U.K.-based CargoLogicAir (see photo above) departed from the East Midlands Airport yesterday, carrying 110 tonnes of goods on behalf of the British government to support the more than 1,000 troops and support staff now stationed in Barbados to help with recovery efforts following Hurricane Irma’s devastating path through the island chain last week.

The flight to Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) was organised by U.K.-based charter broker, Air Charter Service (ACS). Onboard the CargoLogicAir aircraft were 70 tonnes of bottled water and 40 tonnes of ready-to-eat meals for the troops delivering emergency assistance to those affected by Hurricane Irma. This was CargoLogicAir’s third hurricane relief charter flight to the region in the last week.

“In the immediate period after a natural disaster, the first priority is to ensure a fast response to help victims and relief workers by providing basic essentials such as fresh water, food and medical equipment, and to help restore the power, water and communications infrastructure,” said Dmitry Grishin, CEO of CargoLogicAir. “Once some stability is restored in the region, the next phase will be to begin the huge rebuilding program that is needed across the Caribbean, which is likely to require further air logistics support. With our network into Mexico, we’ll be able to offer more capacity, not only on a charter basis but also by utilising our regular services into the region.”

To date, the carrier has also delivered more than 200 tonnes of relief goods on behalf of the French government for the nearby island of Guadeloupe, which is a French territory. On Sept. 13 and 16, CargoLogicAir flew the 747F from Vatry to Pointe-à-Pitre Le Raizet Airport, in Guadeloupe, carrying special equipment to restore power supplies on the island, as well as bottled water, nonperishable food, sanitary products and other equipment to help rescue workers.

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