Air Force brings aid, experts to Morocco

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Bob Purtiman
  • U.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs
AL HOCEIMA, Morocco (AFPN) --  In the early hours of Feb. 24, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Al Hoceima Province in northern Morocco. Within the next few hours, two smaller aftershocks measuring 4.3 and 4.1 shook the remote region. Initial reports indicated more than 570 people were killed and 405 injured.

On Feb. 28, the United States joined an international-relief effort when a C-130 Hercules assigned to the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, touched down at Nador Airport. The aircraft carried four pallets of critical medical supplies and a Humanitarian Assistance Survey Team from the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany.

Within hours of the EUCOM crew touchdown, Utah Air National Guard airmen arrived with blankets and additional medical supplies. The Guard’s involvement is based on a new program, the State Partnership Program, which aligns U.S. allies with a state.

Led by Army Lt. Col. Terry Hoyt, the survey team comprises experts in humanitarian assistance, medicine, logistics and engineering. Working with the U.S. State Department’s office of foreign disaster assistance, the team’s mission was to determine to what extent the United States could contribute to the effort.

“The earthquake was pretty large in magnitude. The epicenter was located in the straights of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Ocean,” Colonel Hoyt said. “We were fortunate in a sense that the earthquake mostly affected rural areas, the numbers of dead and injured aren’t as high as if the quake would have hit a population center.

“Our mission was to make sure that OFDA ... has the situation under control,” he said. “If there is anything else EUCOM can offer to the effort, we will do that through the proper channels.”

According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the most affected areas are rural villages near Al Hoceima, where thousands of people live in mud brick buildings unable to withstand a major tremor.

“Because the death toll is under 1,000, with 15,000 displaced families, OFDA is able to handle this situation,” Colonel Hoyt said. “We need to be down here to ensure in fact, they don’t need EUCOM help. Had this been a huge magnitude quake similar to the one in Iran a month ago, we would have come here with much more support.”

Support to Morocco is nothing new to the United States, said Marine Lt. Col. Charles Brady, EUCOM humanitarian assistance branch chief.

“Morocco is one of our closest friends and has long been an ally,” he said. “EUCOM provides more than $400,000 annually to Morocco through its Humanitarian Assistance Program. In one quick flight, we were able to provide $150,000 in essential medical and relief supplies.”

The survey team will also determine what the United States can do long term.

“We will also assess what we can do when the dust settles,” Colonel Brady said. “It could be rebuilding schools or medical clinics -- this would go beyond the short-term humanitarian relief. This goes into long-term planning to improve Morocco’s infrastructure.”

The initial rescue effort for people trapped in rubble has been completed; however, with the amount of displaced families, there will be health concerns, particularly from waste generated from the relief camps.

“Most of the major health assessments are being done by the civilian community,” said Army Lt. Col. Jeff Melander, EUCOM force health protection officer. “Most of the supplies we brought with us are medical related. We are looking to where we can provide assistance if it is requested.

“The initial relief effort is ongoing, but it may be some time before we’ll see the population health problems arise,” he said. “Right now, food it being distributed, water purification and distribution is under control, the sanitation system is stressed and the displaced populace is dispersed, not concentrated. That’s just in the populated areas; the rural and mountain regions were not assessed.”

Because so many buildings collapsed and sustained damage, one of the biggest challenges will be to determine the structural integrity of the remaining ones so people can inhabit them once again, said Lt. Col. Mike Ptak, a contingency engineering officer.

Morocco, a country that is 99-percent Muslim, has been one of the United States staunchest allies in the war on terror -- a fact that the team was quick to bring up.

“This is EUCOM’s effort to help a friend in need and to build on an important alliance,” Colonel Brady said. “We want to make a difference.” (Courtesy of USAFE News Service)