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January 10, 2005
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By Fred Zimmerman,
Stars and Stripes Pacific edition
UTAPAO, Thailand — The U.S. military’s support of humanitarian
relief efforts in South Asia continues to grow, with more than 16,500
troops converging on the region to lend a hand.
More than 10,800 are on the ships of the Navy’s Expeditionary Strike
Group 5 and Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, which is
carrying the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The remainder of U.S.
forces are spread throughout Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and
Malaysia, according to Lt. Col. Robert Krieg, Combined Support Force
536 operations planning team member.
With relief missions just beginning in Sri Lanka, Krieg said the
United States is moving equipment into Galle and has delivered water
cans, hygiene items and plastic sheeting to Ampara. Beach and hydrographic
studies also are under way to determine whether amphibious landings
will be possible to deliver supplies to shore. Sri Lanka had received
nine tons of relief supplies as of Friday.
Krieg said the U.S. military’s Disaster Relief Assessment Team
traveled from Sri Lanka to the Maldives, along with assessment personnel
from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
While efforts are just under way in Sri Lanka, efforts elsewhere
are in full swing. Indonesia has received 14,000 gallons of water,
94 tons of food and 24 tons of supplies, and the United States has
treated 46 patients since relief operations began there. Thailand
has received 2,400 gallons of water, five tons of food and 297 tons
of supplies, and 61 patients have received care.
Delivering supplies isn’t the only task being performed by the
U.S. military. A civil affairs team in Thailand found three isolated
camps where tsunami victims were living in unsanitary conditions.
Krieg said the information was turned over to the World Food Program,
which worked to assist those living in the camps.
A forensics team made up of both servicemembers and civilians is
helping with the deceased in Phuket, Krieg said. They are collecting
DNA samples from thousands of bodies at the Disaster Victims Identification
Operations Center.
The Navy
is helping to recover bodies. Several riverine special warfare boats
are being used to search for and retrieve the dead from rivers and
coastal waters, Krieg said.
The military continues to provide support throughout the affected
region — as of Friday there had been 219 helicopter sorties, 197
C-130 flights, 112 strategic airlifts and 33 reconnaissance flights,
Krieg said.
Though many things can go wrong with such a large operation, Krieg
said, things so far have gone as planned.
“I think we went into this problem with very little information
and we made some assumptions, which we were wrong on some,” he said.
“But had we waited until we got all the information in, we wouldn’t
be providing aid now. It’s very gratifying … especially knowing
that we are really making a difference in people’s lives.”
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