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December 9, 2004
[Have an opinion about the issues discussed in this article?
Sound
off in our Discussion Boards.]
By David Allen,
Stars and Stripes Pacific edition
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(Chris Korhonen / Courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps) A
Humvee backs onto a KC-130 Hercules bound for the Philippines
on Wednesday At Futenma Marine Corps Air Station, Okinawa as
part of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade’s deployment to
provide disaster relief. |
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(Chris Korhonen / Courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps) Marines
with the 7th Communications Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary
Force, get ready to board a KC-130 Hercules at Futenma for the
trip to the Philippines. |
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(Chris Korhonen / Courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps) A
heavy-duty forklift loads a pallet of equipment bound for the
Philippines onto a KC-130 Hercules at Futenma. |
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — About 600 Marines
and sailors with the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade began leaving
Tuesday to provide disaster relief to the Philippines,
struggling to recover after two tropical storms and a typhoon displaced
at least 168,000 people in the past week, leaving more than 1,400
dead or missing.
The 3rd MEB troops will deliver relief supplies to distribution
points, the Marines stated in a Tuesday evening news release. The
Philippine government asked for help after heavy rain, flooding
and landslides almost destroyed the towns of Real, General Nakar
and Infanta, the release stated, noting that Quezon Province and
surrounding areas suffer from massive food and water shortages.
U.S. forces will stay in the Philippines to assist only as long
as needed to help the Philippine government’s storm relief efforts,
the release stated.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila announced earlier that it is providing
emergency funds to the Philippine National Red Cross to help with
storm victims’ immediate needs.
Also, the embassy’s Joint U.S. Military Assistance group was coordinating
with the Philippine military “to assess and determine U.S. military
resources that could be provided to further support the disaster
assistance efforts,” an embassy news release stated.
“The United States and the American Embassy in Manila are very
concerned for the welfare of the people who are suffering from these
natural disasters,” the embassy said in its statement. “We continue
to be in communication with the Philippine Government to determine
how we can best assist.”
A Marine spokesman on Okinawa said Tuesday that a small team of
Marines from Okinawa already was in the Philippines to “assess the
situation.” An embassy spokeswoman told the
Philippine Star that 14 Marines from Okinawa were helping in relief
efforts and other U.S. servicemembers, already there for joint military
exercises, would stay for another week. Philippine news media reported
the U.S. Agency for International Development donated $200,000,
as well as body bags and plastic shelter material, to the Philippine
National Red Cross. Francis Ricciardone, U.S. ambassador to the
Philippines, announced the United States also would provide electric
generators and helicopters to airlift evacuees from the more remote
areas pummeled by the storms.
Ricciardone helicoptered Sunday over wrecked villages in Quezon.
“The devastation was worse than I had imagined,” he told reporters.
“It was quite distressing — logs everywhere, mud everywhere, roads
were cut off in many places and bridges were down.”
Chiyomi Sumida contributed to this report.
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