Press Releases

During his visit to the National Coordinating Agency for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) on October 10, General John Craddock participated in a joint press conference with President Berger. General Craddock announced an increase in emergency relief assistance to Guatemala by the United States.

General Craddock Visits Guatemala, Commits Further U.S. Assistance

Guatemala, October 10, 2005

General John Craddock, Commander of U.S. Southern Command, visited Guatemala October 10 to meet with senior Guatemalan officials and to offer further U.S. emergency assistance in meeting the tremendous humanitarian and infrastructure needs caused by the flooding and landslides of Tropical Storm Stan.

On behalf of the U.S. Government and U.S. Southern Command, General Craddock extended to President Berger U.S. solidarity and committed continued assistance.

General Craddock met with President Berger, Vice President Stein, Minister of Defense Aldana, and other senior Guatemalan officials involved in relief efforts. He visited the headquarters of CONRED, Guatemala´s emergency relief coordinating agency, and met with officials to obtain an assessment of the damage in the Lake Atitlan area. He discussed with President Berger and senior officials where priority assistance is needed and how it can be provided.

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.

General Craddock stated that U.S. Southern Command is committed to providing search and rescue assistance through Chinook and Black Hawk helicopter missions and will continue to assist in transporting critically needed relief supplies and emergency personnel to remote areas of the country. U.S. Southern Command will also provide equipment, defense articles and manpower to assist in emergency rescue and reconstruction, which may include such assistance as medical equipment and equipment for rebuilding bridges, schools and energy facilities.

U.S. Southern Command has 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 – that are currently in Guatemala to assist the Government of Guatemala in search and rescue operations in priority areas. Southern Command helicopters will continue to provide search-and-rescue support to help save lives in the coming days, including focus on priority affected areas.

U.S. Southern Command, based in Miami, Florida, is the regional U.S. military command working with Latin America and the Caribbean.

The United States Government is committed to working closely with the Guatemalan Government and people to meet the emergency needs caused by Tropical Storm Stan. In addition to Southern Command efforts, the U.S. embassy in Guatemala, including its U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) mission, is working closely with the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) of USAID to continue to provide critical food, water, and hygiene supplies to meet priority needs as requested and coordinated by CONRED, Guatemala’s disaster response coordinator.

The Government of the United States and the American people continue to extend to the Government and people of Guatemala our solidarity and assistance in response to the extensive loss of life and damage to property caused by Tropical Storm Stan.