The first anniversary of the great Haitian earthquake is Wednesday. One year ago, an earthquake registering 7.0 on the Richter scale struck the southern and western portion of the Caribbean nation. The nation was ill-prepared for the devastation that struck in and around its capital, Port-au-Prince.
Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. At the time of the earthquake, the United Nations had been providing security and police training services for several years after political unrest and a coup forced the disbanding of the Haitian Armed Forces and the intervention of the U.N.
The headquarter of the U.N. Force, the Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti, also known as MINUSTAH, was destroyed in the quake. 102 United Nations personnel were killed. The dead included the head of the U.N. Mission and his deputy.
At least 22 government ministry buildings were destroyed and an estimated 13,000 civil servants were killed. The Presidential Palace, the Parliament and the National Cathedral were all destroyed. Nationwide, the official death toll is put at 222,570 and over 300,000 Haitians injured. At least 105,000 houses were leveled and 2.3 million people forced into refugee camps of various sorts.
U.S. military assigned to the embassy were among the first to respond. Among them were Major Dorene Betsy Ross, who was awarded the Airman's Medal for her actions after the quake. She was only one of several who made their way into the ruins to rescue colleagues and aid survivors.
The news of the quake reached all levels of the United States military rapidly. Coast Guard ships routinely operating the the region immediately responded. Within 12 hours, Coast Guard Cutter Forward was off the coast of Haiti, followed shortly by CGC Mohawk and Coast Guard aircraft from Clearwater, Florida, were flying over the area.
The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson had just left port when the news arrive. The captain ordered a change in course and the carrier sailed south at flank speed. As it was underway, additional helicopters were being flown aboard and supplies landed. In transit, training programs were conducted to permit about 120 of Vinson's sailors to work ashore in rescue and relief roles.
The international airport at Port-au-Prince was damaged and unprepared to accept relief flights. As the tower remained unmanned for hours after the quake, planes landed without control and fuel. The Haitian government asked for U.S. aid.
Just after sunset, on January 13, underneath a partly cloudy sky, the muffled sounds of aircraft were heard over the airport. One by one, C-130 Combat Talons of the U.S. Air Force quietly glided onto the single runway. Within moment, security personnel disembarked and within a half hour had secured the airport.
Combat air controllers from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron began taking control of Haitian airspace from some folding tables alongside the ruins of the tower.
Order began to emerge from chaos. As the sun rose on January 14, trained rescue personnel of the Squadron moved into the city. The planes at the airport were moved or refueled and sent off. Room was needed as the aircraft parking and freight unloading facilities were minimal. And, more help was on the way from the United States military.
The 82nd Airborne was on its way. One hundred troops from its 2nd Brigade Combat Team landed on the 14th and the entire brigade would follow. The Hospital Ship Comfort left port for Haiti on January 16. The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit with 2,000 Marines aboard 3 ships left port on January 16 for Haiti.
At the peak, the United States military had 22,000 soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in Haiti. 23 navy ships and 10 Coast Guard vessels responded, along with 264 fixed wing aircraft and 57 helicopters.
By April, the Haitian government and its international partners had reached a point where the U.S. military was no longer needed. While the troops assigned to earthquake relief left, others working humanitarian missions would arrive.
New Horizons-Haiti was a training program for U.S. personnel that involved a humanitarian assistance mission in Haiti. From June to September 2010, National Guard units rotated through the program and performed a variety of tasks in the northern part of the country. While this region had not been affected by the earthquake, many refugees had come there. Work on schools, wells and medical outreach programs all were part of the mission.
The men and women of the U.S. military were not finished with their work in Haiti. Operation Continuing Promise 2010 provided assistance to Haiti twice in 2010. In late July through early August, the USS Iwo Jima, a Marine contingent and a variety of personnel from civilian groups and partner nations provided a variety of medical training and clinical services.
The Iwo Jima would return, at flank speed, as Hurricane Tomas threatened Haiti. With nearly 1.3 million Haitians still living in refugee camps and a cholera outbreak underway, the ship was tasked with arriving as the hurricane departed.
After the hurricane passed, much of the Iwo Jima's work was aerial assessment of damages. This stay was short as the overflights revealed little storm damage.
The activities of the United States military were key to the rescue and relief efforts after the Great Haitian Earthquake. They reopened the airport and kept the flow of aircraft organized. They assessed the port areas of Port-au-Prince, cleared channels and repaired docks and cargo handling spaces. They provided security at several huge refugee camps, delivered food and other materials throughout the stricken region and reopened rubble choked roads.
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