Posted on 01/16/2010 6:06:39 AM PST by kristinn
ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON — Helicopters sit ready to go from this US aircraft carrier off Haiti, but there's a problem: after a day of frantic aid runs there is simply nothing left to deliver.
Aboard the warship some 3,500 US military personnel have been coordinating the flights of 19 US helicopters carrying aid since early morning.
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In less than 12 hours, helicopters from the USS Carl Vinson made some 20 trips to scout the ravaged landscape and deliver items that were originally intended for the ship's crew.
Among the supplies dropped off were thousands of bottles of water and energy drinks, 8,000 sheets and hundreds of camp beds.
Dozens of hospital beds have been arranged on board the ship to accomadate those injured in the quake, including a US citizen evacuated from the US embassy in Port-au-Prince.
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The relief work also faces logistical and coordination challenges, according to Rear Admiral Ted Branch, the most senior military official aboard the USS Carl Vinson.
"We have lift, we have communications, we have some command and control, but we don't have much relief supplies to offer," said Branch, who commands the battle group led by the nuclear-powered Carl Vinson.
"We have no supplies at the airport that we have access to. There are other supplies there that are under the control of other agencies, other organizations and we haven't yet coordinated together to make those supplies available for anyone to deliver," he added.
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The commander noted that some supplies remain at the airport, and could easily be delivered by US helicopters.
"The problem is, some people are perhaps not ready to release their stuff to the most efficient transportation makers and want to deliver supplies themselves."
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
“Instead he’s afraid of being a take charge leader.”
He’s not afraid to, he doesn’t know how. Pretty hard to send the teleprompter to do his job for him.
Just saw a cnn vid of a grayish helio droping onto a field - clip center looked ok - but bottom left corner you could see fists and clubs swinging - don’t know if was same but there were fights - just not in the center frame - good editing would remove them alltogether. Voice after clip admitted this might not be the best way to go about it due to the “unrest” it creates...
“I received an email from World Vision in which they explain that they are delivering their own newly-arrived emergency packets thru their network of 800 aid workers already in place on the island before the tragedy. This is an example of a private agency delivering their own aid.
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I got a similar email from Catholic Relief Services. Those groups already had volunteers on the ground.
From what I understand they (or aircraft similar) air hospitals are being used in Afganistan and Iran for flights to the hospital in Frankfurt A/Main. But from what I understand the airport in Port Au Prince can’t handle them otherwise you’d hear about it.
The Vinson does have the capability to have certain type of turboprop twin transports that can land an take off on it. But only a relative handfew of navy pilots have been trained to do so.
For the Vinson to work in these situations it has to have the training and backup of the type of aircraft and trained pilots which it can accomdate to be successful. Otherwise its a “statement”.
Thank you for this information; very informative.
I think what Haiti really needs is some community organizers.
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