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Air delivery provides critical supplies to earthquake victims

  • Published
  • By Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  U.S. Southern Command, through its air component Air Forces Southern, conducted an airdrop mission today in an effort to provide an alternate distribution point for relief supplies to Haitian earthquake victims. The mission was planned and executed by Airmen at Headquarters Air Mobility Command, 18th Air Force, the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center, and the 612th Air Operations Center.

The C-17, crewed by Airmen from the 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, S.C., departed from Pope AFB, N.C., Monday morning and delivered 14,000 Meals Ready-to-Eat, or MREs, and 14,000 quarts of water in the 7-hour mission which flew round trip to Haiti. To ensure the safety of the Haitian people, Joint Task Force-Haiti secured an area in which to airdrop the supplies. Once on the ground, supplies were distributed by JTF-Haiti, USAID and other relief personnel.

One of the greatest challenges in this relief operation has been lack of infrastructure, which has significantly slowed the delivery of supplies and workers to the greatest points of need in Haiti. Airdrop is one of many options the international community is exploring in order to create alternate distribution points that will enable aid to reach the people more quickly.

Since Jan. 13, Air Mobility Command has delivered more than 1,500 tons of supplies to the region as part of Operation Unified Response. AMC aircraft and personnel continue to support the international effort to increase the velocity with which aid is flowing to those in need.