Earthquake in Haiti

[Magda Hassan]

• The U.S. Department of State held a special briefing on the situation in Haiti, at which administration officials outlined the steps being taken by various government agencies, including USAID and U.S. Southern Command. These steps include the deployment of two 72-person search-and-rescue units to help drill through the debris in order to try to identify individuals that can be saved, and the deployment of U.S. aircraft carrier Carl Vinson to Haiti.
  

• U.S. Southern Command issued a press release listing some immediate response activities, which include the deployment of:
  • U.S. Air Force 1st Special Operations Wing to the Port-au-Prince airport to provide air traffic control capability and airfield operations;
    
  • A U.S. Navy P-3 Orion aircraft from the Forward Operating Location at Comalapa, El Salvador to conduct an aerial reconnaissance of the area affected by the earthquake;
    
  • A team of 30 people, including U.S. military engineers, operational planners, and a command and control group and communication specialists, who will arrive on two C-130 Hercules aircraft; and
    
  • U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson, in addition to other U.S. Navy ships.
    
  
  

• U.S. Southern Command also issued a fact sheet on the details of its mission to Haiti, which, in addition to the deployments cited above, notes that hospital ship USNS Comfort has been ordered to support Haiti relief operations.
  
• http://www.justf.org/blog