1 / 13

Department of Defense Support to Foreign Disaster Relief Operations

Department of Defense Support to Foreign Disaster Relief Operations. INTERHANDS Seminar Mr. John Christiansen 24 October 2000. Agenda. Foreign Disaster Relief Overview Hurricane Mitch - A Wake-Up Call Disaster Preparedness Pays Off Seminars Exercises Disaster Relief Warehouses Belize.

Ava
Download Presentation

Department of Defense Support to Foreign Disaster Relief Operations

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Department of Defense Support to Foreign Disaster Relief Operations INTERHANDS Seminar Mr. John Christiansen 24 October 2000

  2. Agenda • Foreign Disaster Relief Overview • Hurricane Mitch - A Wake-Up Call • Disaster Preparedness Pays Off • Seminars • Exercises • Disaster Relief Warehouses • Belize

  3. Foreign Disaster Relief Overview • US military is not an instrument of first resort in responding to humanitarian crises • DoD supports civil relief agencies and US country teams; it does not lead the efforts • However, US military may be involved when: • Disaster exceeds the response capabilities of civilian relief agencies • There is urgent need for immediate relief • US military has unique assets to contribute • When the US military does become involved: • The military mission should be clearly defined • The risks should be minimal • The involvement should aim at jump-starting civilian relief efforts • The exit conditions should be clear

  4. Requesting Disaster Relief Support from DoD 1. Request made; Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Validates Request Host Nation Request for Support from US Embassy State Department Transmits Formal Request to DoD 2. Formal Request transmitted to DOD The Joint Staff DoD Staffs Request with Appropriate Offices 3. Request Approved and Execute Memo signed out to Joint Staff Regional Command

  5. Hurricane Mitch - A Wake-Up Call Background • Hurricane Mitch struck Central America in fall of 1998 • 9,000 dead; 9,000 missing, presumed dead • Storm damage over USD $4 Billion US and International Assistance • DoD provided over 7,000 soldiers and spent more then US $100 million; SAR, provision and transport of supplies, rudimentary road repair • USAID provided more than US $25 million for relief activities • More than 30 countries and numerous Non-Governmental (NGO) and International Organizations (IO) contributed to response • UN recorded contributions of USD $403 million

  6. Hurricane Mitch • Hurricane Mitch struck Central America on

  7. DISASTER PREPARDNESS PAYS-OFF Increased regional cooperation throughout the years has ... FA-HUM 99 Miami, Florida DP Seminar Central America DP Seminar Caribbean FA-HUM 98 Guatemala FA-HUM 00 Dominican Republic FA-HUM 01 Costa Rica DP Seminar Andean Ridge DP Seminar Southern Cone ...helped to mitigate the affects of disasters.

  8. DoD Cooperation with Federal and Regional Partners CDERA PAHO • Disaster Relief Exercises • Disaster Relief Conferences • Humanitarian Exercises • Warehouse Initiatives OFDA OTHER (NGO’s, PVO’s) FEMA

  9. Excess Property (EP): Disaster Relief Supplies/Equipment Medical Supplies/Equipment School Supplies/Equipment Other Humanitarian Assistance: Search and Rescue (SAR) Training Engineer Technical Support Disaster Management Training Disaster/Technical/Logistical/ Medical Assessments Medical: Disease/Vector Control Veterinary Services Medical Equipment Repair and Training Disease Surveillance System Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Training Post Disaster Stress Management Training Medical/Dental Services DoD Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP)“Powerful Engagement Tool”Types of Projects and Activities

  10. CDERA CDERA DR Warehouse System(Building Self Sufficiency) ANTIGUA JAMAICA BARBADOS TRINIDAD

  11. CEPREDENAC CDERA National Disaster Relief Warehouses(Building Self Sufficiency) REGIONAL ANTIGUA JAMAICA NATIONAL BARBADOS TRINIDAD

  12. Hurricane Keith Background • Made landfall in Belize on 3 October • Government of Belize requested USG assistance on 2 October • Greatest damage reported on the islands of Caye Culker and San Pedro • 60,000 homes destroyed, thousands more damaged US and International Assistance • SOUTHCOM Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) Disaster Relief and Supplies (USD $500K) in place to empower Belize Civil Defense • HAP donations utilized to support Belize relief effort • DoD provided lift support for assorted medical and relief supplies • USAID deployed a DART team and a GO team from Miami with hygiene kits • British Navy provided five helos and a ship that produce potable water

  13. Lessons Learned • Prepare to prevent damage rather than to • recover from it • Civil-military integration must be practiced! • Detailed, accurate assessments are vital • Emergency care does not equal rehabilitation needs • or reconstruction requirements • Logistics control is vital • Work with the media; ensure accuracy

More Related