A MONMOUTH tree surgeon will be part of a disaster arborist response team (DART) which is being sent to clear the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Matt Long, originally from Mitchel Troy, will be heading out to the Caribbean on Friday 6th October along with six other tree surgeons from across the UK to help after the area was devastated by hurricanes.

Mr Long, who owns and runs Chapel Tree Services in Ross on Wye, will be using his 20 years of arboricultural experience as a volunteer with specialist disaster relief charity DART International UK.

This young charity is building on the success of previous operations in the South Pacific, Asia and West Africa.

DART deployed their first team out to the Caribbean on Sunday 24th September and they have reported that the island is 90 per cent devastated.

Distributing aid will remain a huge challenge until the main ring road around the island is cleared of tree debris.

That’s where the DART team come in and they are believed to be the first UK based team to arrive on the ground in Dominica. 

Not surprisingly, communications are out across the island, but Mr Long’s wife Jenny, who also volunteers with DART said: “We have received confirmation so far that the team have based themselves in the airport fire station and they are already at work clearing roads.

“Our partners Rescue Global are flying in more water for the guys and fuel/oil for the chainsaws.

“(We) asked if we could do more to help, the local Government replied, ‘We could use 20 teams clearing roads.’ We’re not that big (yet!), but at least we now have a second team heading out to help.”

Mr Jones is pleased to be heading out and offering his help. The present situation in the Caribbean is exactly what he, and the other volunteers, have trained for.

Jenny said: “In Dominica clearing roads and other vital infrastructure of fallen trees is an immediate priority, as it allows rescue organisations and aid agencies to operate more safely and effectively,”

“Local community leaders and volunteers really value the service our teams deliver, but more importantly they’ve demonstrated a real appetite for learning the skills themselves.

“From our very first deployment to Vanuatu in the South Pacific in 2015, we learned that by delivering training and donating equipment like chainsaws, timber milling equipment and personal protective equipment, we could help rebuild livelihoods and make some of the most vulnerable communities in the world more resilient to future disasters.”

DART responders are all professionally qualified and experienced arborists but also bring a wealth of additional skills with them.

Volunteers include paramedics, trainers, engineers, former military personnel, managers and much more; skills that are very relevant to the complex challenges of helping communities to recover from a natural disaster.

They will be leaving their families for a two week deployment and will be self-sufficient on the ground, bringing with them all that they need to carry out their work.

Thanks to the generosity of the volunteers, and their families, as well as sponsors DART is almost entirely financed by the Arborist Industry in the UK.

To follow the team’s progress and donate to their cause search ‘DARTInternationalUK’ on Facebook or visit www.dartinternational.co.uk.