A crew from the United States Navy Hospital Ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) armed with paint and brushes on Wednesday, ventured to Chaguanas, where it gave the deplorable Saith Park Pavillion, a much-needed facelift.
The U.S. Navy hospital ship is now on its seventh deployment to South America, Central America, and the Caribbean on a medical assistance mission as a result of the humanitarian crisis created by the ongoing political and economic instability in Venezuela.
The visit of the ship and its crew were announced by the US officials earlier this year.
Isaiah John, the spokesman for the Chaguanas based roots foundation, said his organisation partnered with the crew of the naval vessel to assist in the restoration project to prepare for a family-oriented event carded for Saturday.
Lt JG Zain Rivas, a nurse abroad the USNS Comfort, told Guardian Media that he was happy to be in T&T and was only too pleased to assist in the restoration project.
Rivas said, “I wanted to help in another area that is not medical which is painting and cleaning to help everybody that we can.”
Chaguanas Mayor Gopaul Boodhan said he was thrilled that the naval crew could help out since the Chaguanas Borough Corporation had been struggling for funds to infrastructural work in the borough.
Boodhan said the park had been in dire need of restoration.
But even as he welcomed help for his cash strapped borough, Boodhan also took some time to appeal to locals and nationals living abroad to make every effort to assist the victims of hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.
Boodhan said persons willing to make contributions should contact his offices.
According to the US officials comfort medical teams will pull in to Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and this country for working port visits.
The ship has been making visits to the Caribbean and Latin America since 2007.