3rd MEB arrives in Bangladesh to aid Sidr victims
DHAKA, Bangladesh (Nov. 27, 2007) -- The 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade staff arrived here Nov. 23 to begin leading U.S. military relief efforts in the wake of Cyclone Sidr, which ravaged the country’s southern coast Nov. 15.
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/4C2DC285288DD383852573A000194BD8?opendocument
Nov. 27, 2007; Submitted on: 11/26/2007 11:36:18 PM ; Story ID#: 20071126233618
By Cpl. Eric D. Ardnt, MCB Camp Butler
More than 3,000 people were killed and nearly one million were displaced by the storm.
“We are working with the Bangladeshi government to provide rapid humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the areas they deem most in need,” said Brig. Gen. Ronald Bailey, 3rd MEB commanding general.
The United States has significant military capability in the region to support those efforts, including the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) and its embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The Kearsarge arrived off the coast of Bangladesh Nov. 23 and provided the first delivery of U.S. aid to the nation later that same day.
Other U.S. assets in the region include Army medical teams and Air Force C-130 aircraft that are being used to move supplies.
U.S. military efforts are in support of a larger United States response to the Bangladeshi government’s request for assistance. The U.S. effort is coordinated by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Dhaka through the Disaster Assistance Relief Team (DART) and the U.S. Embassy.
“We normally train to fight, but to take that training and those tools and equipment and knowledge and use them for helping others is completely different,” said Sgt Timothy S. Bryant, the 3rd MEB journal clerk. “It’s cool to get these people help, and it’s kind of a testament to our versatility that we can use the same assets for different missions.”
The first order of business for U.S. forces was delivering badly-needed water to remote areas. On Nov. 26 alone, the U.S. military delivered 5,000 five-gallon water of jugs to the southern part of the country.
Another priority includes delivering approximately 160 metric tons of food, tents and clothing to Barisal, in the southern part of the country, for further distribution.
The Bangladeshi government decides what types of aid is most important and the areas it’s most needed. Delivery efforts are then coordinated in combined planning meetings between Bangladeshi and U.S. officials.
“Together, [we will make sure] this gets done as professionally as possible and that we do not waste any time,” said General Moeen U Ahmed, the Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff. “We, together, will not allow a single man or woman to die of starvation.”