Posted on 12/31/2004 11:17:15 AM PST by Shermy
A United States defence reconnaissance team flew out of Medan yesterday to the stricken west coast town of Meulaboh as the US prepared to deliver a massive aid effort to Indonesia.
The US is planning to base its efforts at Meulaboh, which was almost at the epicentre of Sunday's quake and was then swamped by two giant waves. About 15,000 people are thought to have died and 80 per cent of the infrastructure was destroyed.
"We will go where the Indonesian Government wants us to go," a US embassy spokesman, Tim Gerhardson, said. "We are conscious of not telling them what they need."
But the hard-hit west coast appears to be the US focus. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is steaming from Hong Kong and should be in Sumatran waters within three or four days. It will bring 11 helicopters and support crew.
Helicopter is the only way into Meulaboh at the moment.
Yesterday a small logistics force from the US base in Okinawa, Japan, took off from the crisis centre in Medan to conduct reconnaissance in the town. Its plan is for a large-scale operation which can bring in hundreds of pallets a day, not just one at a time, which is all that a helicopter can manage.
Their first step was to work out how. The airport at Meulaboh has a large crack down the runway and is too short for C130s. That didn't seem to daunt US Marine Major Rick Steele, the logistics expert who said the runway could be fixed and extended within a day or two.
He did seem a little more worried when he learnt there may be no operating earthmoving equipment in Meulaboh.
Another option is a floating causeway which requires just a metre of water to operate as a floating runway. Major Steele's job is to work out if this is possible.
"The assessment team is trying to assess what will work best and where we should be. Help is on its way, that's the message," Mr Gerhardson said.
Also at the crisis centre was a large medical team from China, in bright orange jumpsuits. They were waiting for transport to Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province.
Dr Wu Xuejie said his team had worked on earthquake recovery before in Iran and China, which had both experienced catastrophic earthquakes in recent years.
But again yesterday, the airports at Medan and in Banda Aceh were severe bottlenecks.
Meanwhile, supplies of water, food, medicine and clothing continue to arrive at the large aircraft hangar in which they are now stacked to almost four metres high.
What bothers me is the jurisdictional tug-of-war that surely has already been put in place by local authorities, by UN 'big-wigs', etc. A little less of that, and a little more concern for those in dire need would seem warranted. But third-worlders can sometimes have a real chip on their shoulder, and a childish view of the world. And you'll not find more third-worlders than in the ranks of UN 'big-wigs'.
The airport at Meulaboh has a large crack down the runway and is too short for C130s.
I'm sorry...I don't know of a runway that is too short for c-130's!! Khe Sahn was short...and we landed in half the length...took off in less.
Sea bees + steel matts = runway...a day or two at the outside.
You do realise that that aircraft carriers assets were directly supporting US and Coaliton forces in Afghanistan? Centcom more than appreciated the close air support provided by the Super Etendards.
C-130 pilots came up with the idea for LAPES (Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System) after a few "Hot Landings" at Khe Sahn, hybrid.
Little Rock AFB (The biggest C-130 patch on the planet) has two squadrons out of five that have perfected and performed LAPES.
Anytime.
Anywhere.
For decades.
No sweat. One 5 plane LAPES run should tide the Seabees over until the runway's PSP'ed.
Or completely Matted.
Two days.
Max.
Jack.
We did some of the first extractions with 12" thick cardboard bases. A little rough but it got the job done.
We could AD a couple d-8's out of one of those newer honkers and have it done quicker. Have the sea-beas follow the equipment out the back and have it done before lunch. They should be taking off as we speak!!
"Sea bees + steel matts = runway...a day or two at the outside."
What was that stuff called?
We stole a section or two from the Quang Tri runway to cover our RTT pit in Dong Ha. They were quite heavy before we stacked sand bags on top of them.
PS SOMETHING?
I don't know what they called it. We just landed on it...I was wondering why we nearly ran off the end at Quang Tri...LOL
PSP, Tet.
Pierced steel planking. Great for Prop and Turbo-Prop planes to land and take off on.
PSP was used throughout the Pacific in WWI. Even used some in Vietnam.
Not so great for jet fighters. The planes take off and landing speeds wreaked Hell on the tires.
Jack.
:')
It's "Perforated Steel Planking" aka Marston Mats they also make a aluminum version as well.
My coach at Annapolis was a retired marine warrant that worked with that stuff in Viet Nam. For jets they rigged field arresting gear. The boys manning the arresting gear have to work their butts off, but they will always do what it takes.
Bandit,
The PSP was great for throwing together a strip quickly but the downside was that it had a habit of turning into some pretty lethal shrapnel during incoming.
Boo-yah!
Nobody better at this job than the Marines and the Navy. That's what I call rapid action deployment! Where are the French to take some notes?
"I don't know what they called it. We just landed on it...I was wondering why we nearly ran off the end at Quang Tri...LOL"
I won't tell you were we got two pieces of plywood from.
Our own people almost shot at us.
Way to go, US Armed Forces.
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