Airmen from Yokota Air
Base, Japan, and Andersen Air Base, Guam, in the Philippines as
part of an annual bilateral exercise, are providing real-world
humanitarian assistance after mudslides engulfed a village and
1,800 people, Feb. 17.
U.S. Pacific Command authorized approximately 5,500 U.S. troops
to assist in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance shortly
after a mountain overlooking a village in southern Leyte Island
disintegrated into mud following two weeks of steady rain. The
troops were already in the region as part of a bilateral exercise
called Balikatan.
Yokota's 36th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, which flies C-130
aircraft, has already transported more than 40 people and several
tons of equipment, including a forklift, to be used in the relief
efforts.
"First of all, our thoughts are with the families who lost
members in the mudslide," said Lt. Col. Bill Summers, 36th EALS
commander.
"We are ready to assist along with our sister services in
supporting the relief efforts of Philippine government."
According to reports, the village is so remote it takes five to
six hours to get there from the nearest airport in Leyte's
provincial capitol, Tacloban, nearly 400 miles south of Manila.
"Yokota is the airlift
hub of the Pacific and we stand ready and able to get whatever is
needed to assist in the effort," Summers said.
"The 36th trains for all sorts of contingencies and I'm
confident we'll be able to get the much needed supplies and
equipment to the affected areas as quickly as possible."
In addition to the 36th EALS, the 36th Contingency Response
Group from Andersen is providing assistance. The group, which
consists of the 736th Security Forces Squadron and 36th Mission
Readiness Squadron, deployed to Clark Air Base in early February to
open the air base in preparations for the upcoming exercise.
The group's mission is to be on 12-hour alert and ready to open
an airfield or engage in any other mission as Pacific Air Forces
sees fit. In 2005, group members assisted with tsunami relief
efforts in Southeast Asia, deployed to the Kamchatka Peninsula to
aid in the rescue of the trapped Russian submariners and traveled
to Mongolia in support of the president's tour.
Additional airmen throughout the Pacific theater are gearing up
to provide support, as needed. The 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam Air
Force Base, Hawaii, which just received its first C-17 Feb. 8, is
on alert to deploy its new aircraft and supplies to the region. The
Hickam C-17 is the first such aircraft to be permanently based
outside the U.S. mainland and is flown and maintained jointly by
active-duty airmen and the Hawaii Air National Guard.
The Kenney Warfighting Headquarters, also based at Hickam, is
coordinating PACAF's support to the operation.
So far, 56 bodies have been found and 906 people are officially
listed as missing following the mudslide, but the Philippine
National Red Cross fears the numbers of dead will increase
drastically, according to reports.