A FORMER soldier has spoken of his shock after witnessing the astonishing devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in the British Virgin Islands.

David Clarke, from Clacton, was one of the first disaster relief workers to fly into the storm-ravaged islands after they were hit by two hurricanes in a fortnight.

Hurricane Irma was the first to wreak devastation on the tiny British territory, followed by Hurricane Maria.

David is a member of Team Rubicon - a charity made up of military veterans from around the world.

The former Royal Green Jackets rifleman was called up for the mercy mission on September 15 and flew out from RAF Brize Norton two days later.

The 30-strong team made the eight-hour flight to Barbados before catching a shuttle plane to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

Nothing could prepare them for the destruction.

"I got the call on the Friday and was there by Sunday," said David, who spent more than two weeks in the disaster zone.

Halstead Gazette:

  • Nothing could prepare David for the destruction 

"When we got to Barbados, Hurricane Maria was just going through.

"We landed one or two days after Maria hit.

"After flying to Beef Island we drove to the main city of Road Town.

"It was like Armageddon.

"The hurricane had just picked cars up and thrown them where it wanted

"There were catamarans and vans upside down. There were boats up on top of other boats and there wasn't a leaf left on the trees.

"The buildings were totally devastated. You were lucky to see a building with a roof on.

"We were working at a school and the roof from the basketball court had just been lifted off.

"All the windows had blown out and everything had been thrown around."

Halstead Gazette:

  • Catamarans overturned in the harbour

David and the team helped with the clean-up operation at four schools, old people's homes and a fire station, as well as clearing blocked roads so people could get through.

"The electricity and water were down.

"People seemed to be wandering around aimlessly. It was horrendous – it was like something out of a film.

Halstead Gazette:

  • The wrecked school basketball court

"We are all ex-servicemen and are used to seeing certain things but they reckoned the wind was 150-200mph during the hurricane.

"I think there were 16 fatalities on the island.

"It was very emotional – I met people who had lost everything.

"All the rich people had got off the island before the hurricane hit. It was the working people who were left behind who suffered the most.

"I came home home with half the gear I went out there with because I was giving stuff away – clothes and everything.

"The day I came back I was giving anything I could just to help out."

Halstead Gazette:

  • David Clarke in his Team Rubicon shirt

It was David's first mission with Team Rubicon.

He said: "I just thought it was about time I gave something back in what little way I could."

Halstead Gazette:

  • Ebenezer Thomas Primary - one of the schools where David worked