Press Releases

Six UH-60 Black Hawk and three CH-47 Chinook helicopters, currently assisting with relief efforts in Guatemala, were sent by the U.S. Southern Command, the regional military command that works with Latin America and the Caribbean.

Fact Sheet: U.S. Government Assistance to Guatemala After Tropical Storm Stan

Guatemala, October 10, 2005

U.S. Southern Command

SouthCom has deployed nine helicopters from Joint Task Force-Bravo based at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras -- six UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and three CH-47 Chinook helicopters -- to assist Guatemala in search and rescue operations in priority areas.

Working in close coordination and as requested by CONRED, Guatemala’s disaster response coordinator, helicopters have flown numerous missions to San Marcos, Lake Atitlan area and other severely affected areas over the past five days to:

• Assist in search and rescue operations, including evacuating numerous Guatemalan citizens and American tourists stranded in remote areas;
• Deliver critical relief supplies and emergency personnel (including relief officials of CONRED, Guatemala’s emergency relief coordinator, and firefighters and others) to areas isolated by flooding;
• Transport Guatemalan government communications teams and members of the NGO “Communicators Without Borders” to isolated areas in San Marcos to reestablish communications;
• Assist in aerial assessment of the damage from flooding and landslides to help guide the relief and recovery effort.

These helicopters will continue to provide search-and-rescue support to help save lives in the coming days, focusing on the most isolated and heavily affected areas in the west of the country.

SouthCom Commander GEN John Craddock visited Guatemala October 10 and met with President Berger, VP Stein, Defense Minister Aldana, and senior GOG relief officials. He pledged that U.S. Southern Command will provide equipment, defense articles and manpower to assist in emergency rescue and reconstruction, including such assistance as medical equipment and equipment for rebuilding bridges, schools and energy facilities.

GEN Craddock stated in a press conference with President Berger that SouthCom would provide:

• C-130 aircraft to transport needed food, water and supplies to affected areas;
• Engineers to assess needs to rebuild bridges and to reconstruct infrastructure and highways destroyed across the country;
• Aircraft and technical teams to assess and photograph affected areas and to aid in reconstruction plans;
• Tents, emergency shelters, cots and provisions for those displaced by the floods.

USAID

The USAID mission and the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance have been working closely with CONRED and Guatemalan officials in providing needed assistance to priority areas since the flooding and landslides began.

USAID has provided more than $250,000 in relief supplies to Guatemala, including:

Helicopters of the U.S. Joint Task Force Bravo from the Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras are being used to transport food, water, blankets and hygiene kits to the affected areas.

• Purchase of food and water for isolated affected areas;
• Helicopter transport of emergency relief supplies;
• More than 5,000 blankets;
• Plastic tarpaulins to provide temporary shelter for 1,000 families;
• 5,000 personal hygiene kits containing towels, soap and other toiletries.

Another shipment of relief supplies is scheduled to arrive October 12 or 13 that will contain blankets, tarps and water supply containers.

The Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance of USAID has deployed staff to work closely with CONRED to identify priority needs and to monitor deliveries.