The commanding officer of a Halifax-based navy frigate is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Maria as his crew lends a hand in the Caribbean following Hurricane Irma.

HMCS St. John’s is in Turks and Caicos, where its crew is helping with cleanup efforts after the storm devastated parts of the Caribbean earlier this month.

“The crew is coming back completely energized and motivated,” said Cmdr. Gordon Noseworthy. “They’re extremely excited and happy to have had the opportunity to lend support and help to those that are in need.”

Noseworthy told CTV News their first task is to assist in restoring clean water, and they have been able to fire up generators in order to power reverse osmosis machines.

“The next thing we’re looking at is trying to get them back up on power and electricity on the island,” said Noseworthy. “We are making inroads. Things are slowly getting back to some form of normalcy. The hope right now is that Hurricane Maria takes a different path and doesn’t cause further havoc in that area.”

The U.S National Hurricane Center said Monday evening that Maria had intensified into “an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane.” Hurricane watches and warnings have been issued for many parts of the Caribbean.

Noseworthy says the current trajectory has Hurricane Maria reaching the ship’s current location by Thursday. If the storm continues on that path, HMCS St. John’s will relocate by Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Global Affairs is warning Canadians to “avoid all travel” to more than a dozen islands in the eastern Caribbean and asking those on the affected islands to “leave by commercial means while they are still available and if it is safe to do so.”

On Tuesday, the Government of Canada updated its list of Travel Advice and Advisories to including warnings against all travel to:

  • Montserrat
  • Sint Maarten
  • Saint Martin
  • Saint-Barthelemy
  • Anguilla
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Virgin Islands (U.S)
  • Martinique
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Guadeloupe
  • Dominica
  • Puerto Rico

Global Affairs also issued a statement recommending that all Canadians who are travelling abroad register through the free Registration of Canadians Abroad service, which is used to notify travellers in case of an emergency or natural disaster.

As of Monday afternoon, approximately 5,000 Canadians in the path of Hurricane Maria had already registered, according to a Global Affairs spokesperson .

“Canadians should contact their loved ones who may be in harm’s way to ensure that they are aware of the latest recommendations,” Global Affairs said earlier in the day. “Travellers should also contact their friends and family at home to let them know they are safe.”

Global Affairs said it is “in contact with airlines to confirm their plans for Canadians travelling to the affected areas.”

Canadians requiring emergency consular assistance are advised to contact the nearest Canadian government office or the Global Affairs Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa, by calling collect to +1 613 996 8885 or emailing sos@international.gc.ca.

The government faced criticism earlier this month over its response to Hurricane Irma, after hundreds of Canadians were stuck on the devastated islands of St. Maarten and Turks and Caicos before commercial flights could get them home.

With files from CTVNews.ca