From May 30 to June 4, 2026, PIRAC and the Red Cross of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy took part in Caraïbes 26, an exercise organized by the French Armed Forces in the Caribbean (FAA).
Conducted every two years, this inter-service, interagency and regional exercise aims to strengthen the preparedness and coordination of actors involved in responding to major disasters in the region. The 2026 edition was based on a scenario simulating the passage of a Category 4 hurricane affecting several territories across the Lesser Antilles in succession.
A coordinated response to a regional risk
Disasters that regularly strike the Caribbean go beyond administrative borders and require rapid mobilisation as well as close cooperation between national and regional stakeholders.
Caraïbes 26 brought together more than 2,000 participants from the French armed forces, government services, emergency response agencies, local authorities, and humanitarian organisations. International partners from Colombia, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Netherlands also took part in the exercise, helping to strengthen regional interoperability in crisis situations.
The scenario included several phases designed to test the different stages of disaster response: anticipation, emergency response, assistance to affected populations, and coordination of relief operations.
PIRAC’s support and territorial solidarity at the heart of the exercise in Saint Martin
As part of the final phase of the exercise, held in Saint Martin, we provided support to the Saint Martin Red Cross, which retained overall operational responsibility for the response.
In line with our role as a regional platform, we provided technical and logistical support to strengthen the deployment capacities of local teams. Several humanitarian response mechanisms were therefore activated:
- Establishment of a Reception and Assistance Centre for affected individuals, providing information, guidance and support;
- Set-up of a listening and referral point to identify needs and provide initial psychosocial support;
- Organization of an emergency relief kit distribution point.
We also provided logistical and technical support through the transport of three pallets of emergency relief kits from the Regional Humanitarian Warehouse in Guadeloupe, as well as a pick-up vehicle made available for the purposes of the exercise.
The exercise also highlighted the solidarity that unites French Red Cross branches across the French Caribbean. Teams from Saint Barthélemy reinforced operations in Saint Martin, demonstrating the network’s ability to rapidly activate mutual support mechanisms between neighbouring territories during a crisis.
To recreate realistic conditions, volunteers acted as injured persons, displaced individuals and people affected by the simulated disaster. This realistic scenario enabled operational procedures to be tested under conditions closely resembling a real emergency response.
Strengthening preparedness ahead of the hurricane season
Beyond operational training, Caraïbes 26 helped strengthen ties between crisis management stakeholders and continue efforts undertaken since the major disasters that have affected the region in recent years.
For us, this exercise represents a key milestone to assess deployment capabilities, improve coordination with authorities and regional partners, and enhance team preparedness ahead of the peak of the hurricane season.
In the face of increasingly frequent and intense natural hazards, regional cooperation, anticipation, and complementarity among actors remain essential to ensure rapid and effective assistance to affected populations.
Our participation in this exercise was made possible thanks to the financial support of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
