JERSEY’S heart goes out to Madeira. The shock waves from the tragedy which struck that island on Saturday are being felt acutely in this island, too. Thousands of Jersey residents have family and friends in Madeira who will be uppermost in their thoughts and prayers as the full impact of the disastrous mudslides becomes clear

Yet again, the world has witnessed an example of the terrifying power of nature. This time, its effects are being felt here on both personal and communal levels because of the close relationship which has developed between Madeira and Jersey over the past 30 or 40 years.

As industrious island peoples with strong traditions of self-government under a wider national banner, the two communities began that relationship with much in common and, since then, have gradually developed fuller understanding, more closely intertwined fortunes and friendships and growing mutual respect. Madeira and the economic and cultural contribution made by its people over three or four generations are now part of the fabric of Jersey and the sympathy evoked by the weekend tragedy runs deep.

In the days to come, it will take a practical form as Islanders react to the Jersey Side by Side appeal for funds to help to repair the devastation wreaked in Funchal and further afield in the beautiful island of Madeira. Jersey can be expected not only to respond with its customary generosity, but also to reinforce that response with the kind of direct, personal contact and support that occurs when friends and family are in trouble.

The awful toll of dead and injured, and the general misery and destruction experienced, will cast a long shadow because Madeira has sent its sons and daughters around the world to create many expatriate communities. In few places have they become as fully integrated as here, where the closeness of the relationship makes Madeira’s tragedy Jersey’s tragedy, too, as indicated by the immediate message of sympathy and support conveyed personally by Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur.

The friendship agreement sighed on behalf of the two islands in 1998 and the twinning now taking place between Funchal and St Helier represent the formal manifestation of an important international relationship. The emotional and practical support that will now flow from one island to the other will show its strength.