London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Chopper providing vital assistance to Bahamas

Chopper providing vital assistance to Bahamas

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service helicopter, which was deployed to the Bahamas last week to help with relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, flew 21 flights in the first three days, according to the RCIPS. The H145 helicopter is based in Nassau, from where the two crews, working round the clock, are taking multiple daily flights to the effected islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama, airlifting injured people to safety as well as transporting essential specialists and vital equipment.

Describing the work of the crew so far, Tactical Flight Officer Neil Mohammed, said, “We deployed very quickly into the field, delivering supplies and specialists. On Sunday we took six flights to Abaco, extending from Marsh Harbour to Coopers Town. The Air Ops crew transported United Nations specialists to assess humanitarian aid requirements. We delivered specialist technicians to start recovering the hospital on Abaco, and we have been evacuating displaced people, including on one flight, two babies, who were evacuated to Nassau. There’s still so much more we can do.”  

The RCIPS Air Operations Unit has been working alongside the Royal Navy vessel, RFA Mounts Bay, in their relief efforts, police said, noting that the two teams meet each year to plan for disasters such as this. The Cayman helicopter crews have now been tasked with supporting British efforts, including the transfer of personnel, blood and medical supplies.

The UK minister with responsibility for the overseas territories, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, who visited the Cayman Islands at the end of June and accompanied the AOU on a training exercise with RFA Mounts Bay’s Wildcat helicopter, sent thanks to the RCIPS crew via social media. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab updated Parliament yesterday on how the UK is helping the Bahamas, highlighting that the Cayman helicopter had been deployed.

The aircraft was sent to the Bahamas last week with two crews, comprising two pilots, Nigel Pitt and Richard Morcombe, and four tactical flight officers, Mohammed, Ronnie Pollard, Greg Banks Jr and Daniel McIlhagga. An additional pilot, Captain Elaine Hunter, joined the AOU crew on Monday. The crew was also joined on Saturday by their Arrow Aviation engineer, Alex Bordelon, to carry out preventative maintenance checks during the deployment.

At the request of the Bahamas Government, the helicopter will continue its support of relief efforts, police said. The extension of its deployment has been approved by Governor Martyn Roper and Premier Alden McLaughlin.

Saying that the RCIPS helicopter crews were “working tirelessly in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian”, the governor also noted how important it was that the RCIPS Air Operations Unit and RFA Mounts Bay trained together. “I’d like to thank all the crew for their efforts in what must be an extremely difficult environment,” he added.

The premier said, “As we approach the fifteenth anniversary of Ivan this Wednesday, many of us will remember the support we were offered by our Caribbean brothers and sisters during our time of need. The images we are seeing following Dorian will bring back many memories of not just Ivan but also Hurricane Paloma that impacted Cayman Brac in November 2008. We stand ready to offer the Bahamians further support if required.”



 



Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×