Picture shows Rt Hon Priti Patel MP talking toa group of Royal Engineers at Henry Wilfred 'Freddie' Smith Power Station, Tortola, 24 September 2017.

The Secretary of State for International Development has visited the British Virgin Islands to understand the reality of the devastation and the humanitarian relief efforts so far. In Secretary of State Rt Hon Priti Patel's own words:

She said, "The scene is incredible, just wide scale devastation. Quite frankly it looks like the scene from a horror movie, it's apocalyptic, it's stark."

She went on to describe the "human spirit and sheer determination" that she had seen during her visit already.

In expressing her assessment on the military support to the islands, she said, "British forces have played a remarkable role since the hurricane with Ocean and Mounts Bay. I was on there [HMS Ocean] this morning and the extent of supplies, logistics and coordination is incredible."