Peace Like A River: Pakistan relief efforts a month later

U.S. Helicopter Relief Flights Top 1000 In Pakistan

U.S. military helicopter crews delivering relief aid to earthquake survivors in Pakistan’s remote mountain ranges have flown more than 1000 trips since beginning flight operations here Oct 11.

When helicopter flight operations ended for the day on Nov. 3, U.S. military pilots had flown 1,056 missions into Pakistan’s Kashmir and Northwest Frontier Provinces, a rugged mountainous region.

There are 24 U.S. military helicopters supporting Pakistani-led relief efforts. The U.S. Army has 17 CH-47 Chinooks and three UH-60 Blackhawks providing aid, while the U.S. Navy has two MH-53 Sea Stallions and two MH-60 Knighthawks.

U.S. Military Hospital Treats 1,000th Patient

A U.S. military field hospital in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan treated its 1,000th patient the evening of Nov. 6.

The 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital deployed to Muzaffarabad as part of the United States’ support to the Pakistani-led relief effort resulting from the devastating earthquake Oct. 8 that caused heavy damage in the Kashmir and Northwest Frontier Provinces, Pakistan.

The hospital deployed to the heart of the earthquake zone from its base in Germany and began seeing patients on Oct. 25. The facility is capable of performing simultaneous surgeries and has a capacity of 24 intensive care unit beds with 60 additional beds for those requiring less critical care. It also has lab, x-ray, pharmacy and other capabilities similar to that of any typical U.S. hospital.

An injured Pakistani child here waits for transport to a medical center in Islamabad Oct. 20.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeromy K. Cross)

An update from USAID:

* From October 10 to 31, USAID completed nine airlifts of emergency relief commodities to Pakistan. The airlifts delivered a total of 45,000 blankets, 1,570 winterized tents, 6,150 rolls of plastic sheeting for approximately 30,750 families, 15,000 water containers, 17 water bladders, 2 water purification units, 10 WHO emergency health kits, and 20 concrete cutting saws. The total value of the completed airlifts, including transport, is more than $4 million.

* To date, USAID/FFP has responded to the WFP emergency operation for Pakistan with 2,400 MT of vegetable oil and 480 MT of wheat soy blend. The total value of this contribution is approximately $3.4 million.

The latest Joint Combat Camera Photos of the relief efforts are dated November 6.

Here are some earthquake-related pictures from Pakistan Earthquake Relief Fund.

Here is a graph I put together with data culled from CentCom press releases. This represents total tons of supplies flown in on the large cargo planes. It does not include supplies the Navy has delivered by ship. (I am not sure if this includes supplies referred to by USAID.) Click the thumbnail for the full size image.