PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – Commanding General of U.S. Southern Command Douglas Fraser authorized the Continuing Promise 2010 (CP10) mission onboard the amphibious ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) to depart Haiti by Tuesday, November 9.
The command authorized the ship’s departure after consulting closely with the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, where post-Hurricane Tomas U.S. government assistance efforts to the Government of Haiti are being led.
U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten said, “After reviewing post-storm requirements with the Haitian government and the UN, I told Southern Command Commanding General Fraser that IWO JIMA’S helicopter support would no longer be required to respond to the damage caused by Hurricane Tomas. I want to thank the ship’s crew and Commodore Tom Negus, as well as the entire military team, for their hard work, which was critical to ensuring a focused response. Their efforts are part of the U.S. government’s ongoing engagement and support for the Government and people of Haiti.”
On November 6, following the storm’s passing, the IWO JIMA’s helicopters began conducting damage assessment flights, in support of the Haitian government-led, international effort in response to the hurricane. CP10 supported the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) disaster assistance response team at the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince and coordinated its efforts with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
“This rapid response is demonstrative of the Continuing Promise 2010 mission,” said Mission Commander Commodore Thomas Negus, USN. “Throughout this mission, we’ve talked about our ability to provide not only humanitarian civic assistance, but also our readiness to provide disaster relief. Thankfully, we were on station and ready and now our actions mirror our words.”
Additionally, U.S. Coast Guard aircraft have completed multiple flights to provide damage assessments in northern Haiti and other areas of the country. Coast Guard aircraft will continue to conduct routine coastal surveillance flights. “Seventh District Coast Guard cutters and aircraft conducted numerous post-storm assessments over the northern areas of Haiti and will now resume their routine patrols, to include coastal surveillance along the north coast of Haiti, to deter and detect illegal migration and narcotics smuggling,” said Captain Scott Buschman, Seventh Coast Guard District Chief of Staff.
Observations reported by the damage assessment teams indicate that, while some areas of Haiti suffered crop damage and flooding due to Tomas, mitigation measures, including those implemented by USAID, helped reduce loss of life and property damage. U.S.-sponsored mitigation activities include soil stabilization and reforestation, the clearing and construction of storm canals and drainage systems, and watershed protection initiatives. To protect those living in camps as a result of the January 12 earthquake, the U.S. government funded work on drainage ditches, terracing, digging retaining ponds, sandbagging, stabilizing slopes in at-risk camps, and building safety fences and retaining walls. Together with our support for the Direction de Protection Civile, the Haitian government agency that led the robust, multi-donor campaign to prepare for the storm, these efforts successfully reduced the vulnerability of thousands of Haitians.
The CP10 mission and the IWO JIMA were in the Caribbean conducting a four-month, humanitarian civic assistance deployment to eight nations. Previously, the IWO JIMA operated off the Haitian coast near Port-de-Paix from July 24 through August 2. During this time, personnel provided medical care to more than 4,000 individuals; dental treatment to more than 1,700 Haitians; and veterinary services for over 400 animals, at medical sites in Port-de-Paix and St. Louis du Nord. Additionally engineering projects were conducted at the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission and L’Hopital de l’Immaculée Conception.
