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Air Force scaling down Haiti operations

The Air Force has begun to scale down its operations in Haiti but has no timetable for how much longer airmen will remain, according to the officer in charge of operations in the country.

Col. Dan Courtois, commander of the 24th Air Expeditionary Group, said Feb. 18 that 697 airmen were still in Haiti assisting with recovery efforts, down from a peak of about 850. About 130 members of a contingency response group were scheduled to depart Feb. 19, leaving only the 513 airmen under Courtois' command and about 50 staff members at Joint Task Force Haiti.

The 24th will assume the CRG's duties running an aerial port to coordinate humanitarian relief efforts, in addition to two other tasks: medical care and evacuations, and assisting with air traffic control and security at the airport in Port-au-Prince.

Courtois said the 24th's medical personnel have treated 233 patients and working with a local NGO on another 432. Medical evacuation teams have airlifted 221 patients to the U.S. and 180 to the Navy's hospital ship Comfort. The medical personnel arrived about a week and half after the quake, Courtois said.

Courtois said the work done by nongovernmental organizations and the military have made a big difference. “In a lot of parts of the city you see life getting back to normal to some extent,” he said.

But, he added, the Air Force will be in Haiti “as long as the Joint Task Force says we're needed.”

AIR MOBILITY DATA

Air Mobility Command released figures for its operations since the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. The numbers are up to date as of Feb. 16.

• Cargo delivered: 12,235 short tons

• AMC executed four air deliveries (using five aircraft) into Haiti and dropped 152 bundles of MREs and water, totaling 246,480 pounds

• Passengers delivered: 20,016

• Airlift sorties: 1,921