Before Hurricane Fabian hit last September, the Bermuda Regiment had not been embodied for hurricane clean-up in 16 years.

Today, hurricane preparedness at the Regiment has been moved up months before the season begins to stress the importance of being prepared for a natural disaster.

Since September 5 last year, the Regiment has increased its supply of generators and emergency equipment and has learned how to organise disaster relief teams according to Major Brian Gonsalves, second in command at the Bermuda Regiment.

Chainsaw and tree felling skills became a top priority for the Regiment and this year, nine officers were rewarded with the coveted National Proficiency Tests Council (NPTC) Certificates of Competence from the UK. They all passed Chainsaw and Related Operations Level 2 with flying colours.

Shortly after the Regiment?s four hundred plus troops faced hauling thousands of trees off the roads the week after Fabian the Commanding Officer Lt. Col. Edward Lamb said members of the Regiment must have chainsaw and tree felling skills.

Major Brian Gonsalves, second in command of the Bermuda Regiment, said most of the troops had never been through an experience like Fabian, but found themselves having to learn how to make home repairs and get the massive trees, uprooted by the hurricane, out of the roads as quickly as possible. Qualified troops are now training other officers in chainsaw.

?These guys can train the rest of the Regiment in maintenance and operation,? said Major Gonsalves. ?Now they can go out in complete teams which makes the effectiveness more on spot, we?re not wasting any time.?

The necessity of having a local Regiment of able-bodied young men became more apparent, particularly in the hard hit areas in the west end.

?The Regiment was applauded, people were saying it is a very good thing our young men are involved in this organisation,? said Major Gonsalves.

On September 5 last year, the decision was made not to deploy troops to the Causeway said Major Gonsalves.

?We received a call asking if we could send assistance but we did not deploy anyone. The decision was taken after widespread consultation that the Causeway could withstand x number of winds and its not predicted to get up to that. History, however, tells us that that?s not what happened,? he said.

He felt the Regiment did not take flack for the decision. ?You?re already suffering a loss, do you compact that by further loss,? he said. ?If the commander in the St. George?s area was able to make an effort to get out there then he would have.?

The Regiment?s efforts also did not go unnoticed by visitors to the Island after Fabian including writer James Grant who wrote at the time that considering the 20,000 downed trees and millions of dollars of structural damage the recovery was speedy and well coordinated. In his article he wrote; ?The Bermuda Regiment, the colony?s local military force, joined with public employees and volunteers to clear streets of debris and restore electricity.?