Turks and Caicos' Governor yesterday formally asked for help from Bermuda as the Caribbean country reels from the devastating Hurricane Ike.

Governor Sir Richard Gozney said he had received a request from his TCI counterpart Gordon Wetherell for post-storm assistance from the Bermuda Regiment.

A recce team of four from the Regiment, led by second-in-command Major Brian Gonsalves, was due to arrive in the islands last night. It is expected volunteer soldiers will then spend for up to three weeks shoring up buildings and clearing routes.

They will be joined by Belco employees, after the energy company contacts the Caribbean Electric Utility Service Corporation to see what help it needs reconnecting power lines.

In the capital Grand Turk, Ike damaged nearly every building after it made its first landfall as a Category Four hurricane with sustained winds over 130 miles per hour.

Premier Ewart Brown is understood to own a condo at Somerset in Providenciales, one of the most expensive resorts in TCI, but it is thought it was not damaged. His Press Secretary Glenn Jones did not respond when asked if the Premier's home was affected.

Dr. Brown has been in daily contact with TCI Premier Michael Misick, his personal friend, since Ike approached the low-lying tropical islands last Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) will provide $6.3 million to assist TCI's recovery.

Finance Minister Paula Cox said: "We are heartened that our support of the CCRIF initiative in providing parametric based insurance coverage is achieving its objective of assisting our friends in need to the South.

"This is only fitting given that Bermuda is considered to be the world's risk capital. And we must lead by example and practice what we preach, because we never know when we may be in need of assistance from our neighbours."

Bermuda's parametric insurance coverage provides a maximum payout limit to Bermuda of $15 million.

Some Bahamas-bound cruises originating in New York have been diverted to Bermuda as major cruise lines operating in the Caribbean have made itinerary adjustments in response to the tropical storm and hurricane activity.

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