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OPERATION UNIFIED ASSISTANCE US Navy Response to the Tsunami Disaster. Christine Hunter MD Captain, Medical Corps United States Navy . Operation Unified Assistance 1 Jan-15 Mar.
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OPERATION UNIFIED ASSISTANCEUS Navy Response to the Tsunami Disaster Christine Hunter MD Captain, Medical Corps United States Navy
Operation Unified Assistance1 Jan-15 Mar The US Navy tsunami relief effort was part of a multi-national, multi-agency support force which included 19 ships and 19,000 personnel
US Navy Immediate Response1 Jan- 6 Feb • USS Lincoln and USS Bon Homme Richard provided water, food, supplies, and medevac • Fleet surgical team established an emergency staging area in Banda Aceh with Spanish and Australian medical personnel
USNS Mercy6 Feb-15 Mar • Public Health Service and NGO volunteers from Project Hope integrated with US Navy medical personnel. • Capabilities included critical care, internal medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, general surgery, thoracic surgery, ENT, oral surgery, mental health, CT scanning, environmental health, laboratory, and medical repair • Unique conditions: “Tsunami Lung”, tetanus, dengue, brain abscess
Albidine Provincial Hospital Banda Aceh • Primary triage, staging, and reception site. • US, GDR, AUS military and NGO staff provided care alongside Indonesian medical personnel • Mercy staff able to restore plumbing, electricity, HVAC, and medical equipment
Community Outreach • Epidemiological assessments of local villages • Infection Control for IDP camps • Mental health training workshop for Indonesian mental health personnel • Nursing education at local nursing school as most instructors were lost in the tsunami
What does US Navy bring to the HA/DR arena? • Immediate response: USS Lincoln responded in 5 days with supplies, emergency medical support, potable water, and airlift • Reconstruction: advanced medical care, environmental health, biomedical repair, education of local medical personnel • Sea-basing: self-contained platforms with established supply chains
Key Findings • US Military offered unique capabilities in collaboration with local, international, and non-governmental organizations to provide effective, far reaching assistance to tsunami victims