Black smoke clouds hung threateningly above the small airport of the Dutch Caribbean island of Saba. A small passenger aircraft had just crashed with several victims as a result. The fire brigade, ambulance service and police are on the scene. The always very quiet island on Monday September 3rd had as its theme disaster management as part of the Hurricane Exercise 2012.
Normally speaking the Hurricane Exercise of the Royal Marines in the Caribbean region is concentrated mainly on St. Maarten. This year the exercise has been expanded with disaster trainings on St. Eustatius as well as Saba. In the mornings a simulated airplane crash was held with casualties and wounded. The objective of this scenario was to allow the disaster staff. Local authorities and emergency services practice with a disaster of this caliber. The Royal Marines in the Caribbean region provided a helping hand with this by facilitating this large-scale exercise.
Evacuation
But it did not remain only by an aircraft crash for the islands. In the scenario the disaster staff also brought in the marines for an evacuation of the citizens as the result of the threat of the passage of devastating hurricane. Hr.Ms. Pelikaan functioned as the transport ship and ensured that in total 160 citizens were evacuated from Saba. "I am very pleased that we could carry out these simulated aircraft training and hurricane evacuation exercise as a way to test the disaster preparedness of Saba. I further welcome the news from the Minister of Defense that marines will be placed on St. Maarten to serve our islands", says Island Governor Jonathan Johnson. Similar exercises were held on St. Eustatius last weekend
