Tragedy in Haiti: The American Response
The U.S. is working on a fast Haitian rescue with a handful of Coast Guard cutters, a hospital ship—the USNS Comfort—and aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. Here is how the rescue effort will go down.
By Joe Pappalardo
Published on: January 13, 2010
When calamity on the level of Haiti's earthquake strikes, the first U.S. responders bear a heavy load. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, Navy sailors, Coast Guardsmen and professional urban rescue teams will be some of the first to save lives amid the rubble.
The first ones on the scene will be the Coast Guard. They have the rescue training and equipment to deliver help quickly. (After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Coast Guard helicopters were plucking victims from roofs while the rest of the military was still mobilizing.) Four large Coast Guard ships—a 210-foot Reliance-class cutter and three 270-foot medium Endurance-class cutters—left Miami today, bound for Haiti. These cutters conduct routine patrols in the Caribbean, hunting smugglers who transport drugs and illegal immigrants, and rescuing people in distress. Each ship is equipped with helicopters ready for sling rescues and small boats that can reach places with little infrastructure. Perhaps most importantly, the ships have water desalination equipment that could help stave off disease in the quake's aftermath...