More Aid Flowing By Air Into Earthquake-Rattled Region
A total of 190 US Army medical
specialists are arrived in Pakistan Tuesday to provide aid to those
affected by the earthquake that struck the region Oct. 8th.
Members of Task Force 212 left Ramstein Air Base, Germany,
aboard a Russian Antonov cargo plane Oct. 17. The task force is
built around the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. The unit also
includes elements of the 160th Forward Surgical Team, based in
Landstuhl, Germany, and the 123rd Main Support Battalion, of the
1st Armored Division, based in Dexheim, Germany.
The first wave of assistance, drivers, nurses and support
personnel, supply containers, three five-ton cargo trucks towing
generators, and operating room containers on trailers, deployed to
Muzafarrabad, Pakistan, where task force members will establish an
84-bed care facility.
"We are part of a larger operation," Army Col. Angel Lugo, the
212th MASH commander, said. Lugo also commands Task Force 212. "The
212th remains at a high state of readiness. The 123rd will provide
a water-purification detachment, which can take water from almost
any source and make it potable."
Pakistani officials said the earthquake killed more than 54,000
people. Many thousands were hurt and around 1 million Pakistanis
are homeless as a result of the 7.6-magnitude quake.
US Army helicopters rushed to the area and began providing aid
and search-and-rescue capabilities. Twelve US helicopters are
operating in the area with nine more en route. Around 400 US
servicemembers are providing ground support for the effort.
Pentagon officials said US airmen have delivered 621 short tons
of material to the stricken areas. In addition to helicopter
deliveries, US aircraft have planned for two airdrops of supplies
to remote areas. Rain, hail and high winds have hampered operations
in the region.
Two Army heavy engineer battalions have been alerted for
deployment to Pakistan. The units will help clear roads, reinforce
bridges and repair communications.
The USS Pearl Harbor has unloaded earthquake relief supplies and
equipment, such as bulldozers, in the port city of Karachi. The SS
Northern Lights, a ship under contract to the Navy, has also
delivered supplies to the region.
US Air Force crews are helping other nations deliver supplies,
as well. On Oct. 15, an Air Force C-17 transported seven Qatari
soldiers, a Qatari mobile hospital, and 90,000 pounds of cargo to
Islamabad International Airport, Pakistan. The cargo included two
all-terrain vehicles filled with medical equipment, a five-ton
truck, a generator, and a trailer.
"It was very wonderful to go," Saeed A.N. Mohammad, a Qatari
army pharmacist and nurse, said. He and three other
Pakistan-natives on the team were anxious to get to Pakistan to
assist in the relief efforts. The four expressed relief that their
immediate families remained unharmed by the natural disaster.
For C-17 aircrew member Airman 1st Class Dan Gutowski, a
loadmaster with the 15th Airlift Squadron from Charleston Air Force
Base, SC, providing support by airlift was 'just another day,' but
he was ready to help.
"I know the earthquake caused a lot of damage, and the Pakistani
people really need our assistance," he said. "I'm glad I'm in the
position to make it happen."
Since the quake struck, C-17s have flown 938,000 pounds of
cargo, 182 pallets and 69 passengers into Pakistan, said Maj. Brent
Keenan, the C-17 operations commander for Detachment 2, 817th
Expeditionary Airlift Squadron.