| Tragedy in Haiti: The American Response The U.S. is working on a fast Haitian rescue with a handful of Coast Guard cutters, a hospital ship-the USNS Comfort-and aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. Here is how the rescue effort will go down. By Joe Pappalardo Published on: January 13, 2010 When calamity on the level of Haiti's earthquake strikes, the first U.S. responders bear a heavy load. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, Navy sailors, Coast Guardsmen and professional urban rescue teams will be some of the first to save lives amid the rubble. The first ones on the scene will be the Coast Guard. They have the rescue training and equipment to deliver help quickly. (After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Coast Guard helicopters were plucking victims from roofs while the rest of the military was still mobilizing.) Four large Coast Guard ships-a 210-foot Reliance-class cutter and three 270-foot medium Endurance-class cutters-left Miami today, bound for Haiti. These cutters conduct routine patrols in the Caribbean, hunting smugglers who transport drugs and illegal immigrants, and rescuing people in distress. Each ship is equipped with helicopters ready for sling rescues and small boats that can reach places with little infrastructure. Perhaps most importantly, the ships have water desalination equipment that could help stave off disease in the quake's aftermath. A C-130 cargo airplane also flew into Haiti from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater in Florida. Since the airport in Port-au-Prince is open, this cargo hauler will be vital in shipping personnel and supplies needed to set up a field hospital and establish a communications hub. Other Coast Guard ships will patrol the Caribbean, likely looking to rescue people fleeing the shattered island in rickety boats. The Navy hospital ship will be joined in Haiti by the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. The carrier's crew of more than 3000 had been at sea for just hours, leaving Norfolk, Va., for its new home port in San Diego, when the call came to reroute to Haiti. The massive craft can launch helicopters loaded with supplies, make and deliver fresh water and, if need be, augment hospital space by pitching aid tents on its flight deck. For full story. http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4342398.html Here are some more pictures #16 shows Outskirts of Port au Prince ttp://www.wusa9.com/slideshows/gallery.aspx?slideshowname=Haiti_Earthquake |