Three U.S. Navy ships and more Marine aircraft have joined in the U.S. effort for disaster relief in Haiti, Pentagon officials said on Tuesday.
The military is on station to support the U.S. Agency for International Development relief effort following the Aug. 14 earthquake. The military response is led by Rear Adm. Keith Davids, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command South.
Amphibious warship USS Arlington (LPD-24) has been off the coast of Haiti since earlier this week and is operating with the Spearhead-class fast transport USNS Burlington (T-EPF-10) and Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship USS Billings (LCS-15).
The two ships were deployed to U.S. 4th Fleet to support the ongoing counter-narcotics operation in U.S. Southern Command.
“Burlington is utilizing its ScanEagle unmanned aerial system (UAS) to obtain aerial images of the destruction on the ground which helps relief planners determine where supplies are needed, what airfields can be used, and what roadways are accessible,” 4th Fleet said in a statement.
In addition, several Coast Guard cutters and aircraft are supporting the USAID operation.
Arlington embarked with Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 2 to buttress the ship’s existing medical staff, adding more surgery capability and an intensive care unit. Additionally, the ship embarked with a Landing Craft Utility and two MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopters.
“Four United States Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys arrived to provide additional options for personnel and supply movement. These air assets are in addition to the 18 U.S. military and Coast Guard aircraft already supporting humanitarian relief operations. U.S. maritime vessels continue support also,” Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor told Pentagon reporters on Tuesday.
“Over the last 24 hours, Joint Task Force Haiti conducted 56 missions, assisted in the saving of 40 lives and delivered more than 35,000 pounds of goods, supplies and medical supplies.”
As of Tuesday, the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that centered on the southwestern Tiburon Peninsula has “killed at least 2,207 people, injured 12,268 and destroyed nearly 53,000 houses,” according to The Associated Press.
The U.S. response this time around is much smaller than the 2010 Navy and Marine Corps operation following an earthquake that killed 200,000 and destroyed much of Haiti’s capital, Port au Prince.
The Navy sent carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-71) – in addition to amphibious ships USS Bataan (LHD-5), USS Carter Hall (LSD-50), USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43), USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44), USS Nassau (LHA-4), USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19), and USS Ashland (LSD-48) – to support the three-month operation.
Last week, USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance assistant administrator Sarah Charles told reporters they did not expect the destruction to be on the same scale.
Gangs in Haiti offer to help aid efforts; earthquake death toll rises to 2,207
Gangs have hijacked aid trucks and desperate crowds have scuffled over bags of food
![](https://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/194/407/mpx-mauro-haiti-challenges.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=510px:* 510w")
The response to last week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti has been hampered by the ongoing economic and political crisis there, and experts say the future of the country remains uncertain.
A Haitian gang leader on Sunday offered a truce and help for communities shattered by a devastating earthquake — potentially offering a break for a relief effort that has been plagued by hijacked aid trucks and disorder.
The offer came as many Haitians resumed services in or outside damaged churches, sometimes for the first time since the magnitude 7.2 quake of Aug. 14. The country’s Civil Protection Agency also raised toll of dead to 2,207.
It wasn’t immediately clear how much impact the truce offer might have: While powerful, Jimmy Cherizier, alias “Barbecue,” is far from the only gang leader in Haiti and widely repeated social media reports of an earlier gang truce failed to prevent attacks on the expanding relief effort.
Gangs have blocked roads, hijacked aid trucks and stolen supplies, forcing relief workers to transport supplies by helicopter. In places, desperate crowds have scuffled over bags of food.
Cherizier addressed a Facebook video on Sunday to the hardest-hit parts of the Haiti’s southwestern peninsula, saying “We want to tell them that the G9 Revolutionary Forces and allies, all for one and one for all, sympathize with their pain and sorrows.”
“The G9 Revolutionary Forces and allies … will participate in the relief by bringing them help. We invite all compatriots to show solidarity with the victims by trying to share what little there is with them.”
The increase in the death toll was the first since late Wednesday when the government put it at 2,189. The government said Sunday that 344 people were still missing, 12,268 people were injured and nearly 53,000 houses were destroyed by the quake.
In Les Cayes, many attended church to mourn those lost and give thanks for their own survival.
At an evangelical church in the Bergeaud neighborhood, parishioners sang hymns under beams of sunlight streaming through holes in the roof and walls.
Pastor Sevrain Marc Dix Jonas, said Sunday’s service was special because until now his congregation had been unable to meet since the quake.
“Today was a must,” Dix Jonas said, standing below a gaping opening high in his church’s facade. “To thank God. He protected us. We did not die.”
His church was one of the few where congregants could worship inside. At many others, services were held in the street outside collapsed sanctuaries.
Taking that into account, the Roman Catholic church in Les Cayes moved its morning service to 6:30 a.m. to avoid the heat of day.
The post More U.S. Navy Ships, Marine Aircraft Assist in Haiti Relief, Gangs to Cool It for Relief Effort appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.