PETERSON AFB, Colo. –
U.S. Northern Command continues to conduct 24-hour operations, conducting search and rescue operations, bringing additional essential commodities to the islands, and restoring power at hospitals, ports, airports and other critical facilities.
Today, the Department of Defense has eight scheduled flights to deliver food and water, power generation capabilities, medical supplies, contingency response units, communications support, as well as assisting with commodity distribution in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Specifically:
Puerto Rico:
• One C-5C is arriving in Puerto Rico with a Federal Aviation Administration generator to support radar approach control operations. This generator enhances air traffic control capacity and increases the number of flights able to travel in and out of San Juan International Airport and surrounding airports.
• One C-17 is arriving in Puerto Rico with the U.S. Coast Guard Mobile Medical Unit, a fast response emergency medical platform that deploys to highly impacted areas during a disaster.
• One Royal Canadian Air Force CC-177 from 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario, is arriving in Puerto Rico with a U.S. Civil Affairs Information Support Element (CAISE) from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. This is a continuation of Tuesday’s mission to support dissemination of critical public information during domestic emergencies in support of FEMA. Canada has offered to assist the U.S. in transporting equipment and personnel as requested.
• U.S. Marines continue to operate from Roosevelt Roads Airfield, executing route clearance, commodity and fuel distribution, as well as providing helicopter support to assist officials from Health and Human Services complete assessments of all Puerto Rican hospitals.
• One C-17 is arriving in Puerto Rico with the Federal Aviation Administration’s initial response team from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. This is a continuation of yesterday’s mission to provide airfield support operations. Today’s flight has approximately 25 personnel, generators and heavy duty trucks.
U.S. Virgin Islands:
• One C-17 is arriving in Saint Thomas with the 247th Composite Supply Company from Fort Carson, Colorado. This is a continuation of yesterday’s mission to provide supplies to the 601st Area Support Medical Company. Today’s flight has approximately 10 personnel and 33 tons of equipment.
• Three C-17s are arriving in Saint Croix with 22 pallets of bottled water and 25 pallets of shelf-stable meals able to support 250,000 local residents.
USNORTHCOM's mission is to assist lead federal relief agencies in helping those affected by natural disasters to minimize suffering while continuing its mission of defending the Homeland.