Last week, Air Cargo World had the honor of riding along with crews from Airlink and Bell Helicopter as they provided desperately needed airlift services to remote disaster-stricken regions in Haiti’s southern departments of Grand’Anse and Sud, following the devastating effects of Hurricane Matthew.
Widespread support from the aviation and transportation industry made this operation possible, but Haiti is in for years of resource-intensive recovery – not just from the Oct. 4 storm, but from continuing effects of the 2010 earthquake. The 175,000 pounds of relief supplies delivered last week are only a fraction of the support required to get the country back on its feet, and the logistical support will be, frankly, expensive. Please visit the websites of the organizations that played a part in this mission and see how you can support their efforts on either a personal or institutional level.
Airlink : Airlink works with airline partners to respond to rapid-onset disasters, including the earthquake in Haiti; the tsunami in Japan; Hurricane Sandy and numerous tornadoes in the United States; Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines; and the Ebola crisis in West Africa.
LIFT : LIFT is an organization that affords responders access to: general aviation aircraft, heavy jets, helicopters, small and large vessels and ground transportation to bring people and cargo to disaster sites. The organization strive to deliver these assets to NGO’s for free or at a reduced cost whenever possible.
American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) : Supply-chain businesses that stand poised to respond in the event of disasters. ALAN provides experts in transportation, warehousing, cold storage and distribution, and can help locate and move goods from suppliers to affected communities rapidly and efficiently.
Meanwhile, here are some more images from the airlift operations: