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Foreword

Operation Unified Assistance (OUA):
Turning Military Cooperation into Humanitarian Aid

Japan Helps Tsunami Victims

Asia-Pacific Nations Enhancing Military Support to Humanitarian Operations

OUA: Maldives,
Sri Lanka, Thailand
Turning Cooperation into
Humanitarian Aid

The Combined Support Group (CSG) in Sri Lanka, which included Australian, Canadian, and U.S. forces, worked with the governments of the Maldives and Sri Lanka and with international relief agencies to assist the tsunami victims. The CSG provided fresh water, cleared roads and villages of debris, demolished unsafe buildings, provided medical care, delivered relief supplies, and rendered wells safe for drinking.

In Thailand, the Royal Thai Army engineers cleared debris in hard-hit areas, while the CSG in Phuket supported forensic efforts, provided engineering assessments, and distributed relief supplies. International relief agencies also assisted in relief, recovery, and reconstruction efforts.

The Maldives
In the Maldives, tsunami-affected villages received freshwater from two U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command prepositioning ships – MV 1st Lt. Jack Lummus (T-AK 3011) and MV 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman (T-AK 3002) – moored off the coast. Using reverse osmosis, the ships’ crews made freshwater from seawater. To help the nearly 13,000 residents displaced by the tsunami, U.S. Navy amphibious craft transported freshwater and other relief supplies from island to island.

Sri Lanka
CSG forces in Sri Lanka delivered hundreds of metric tons of relief supplies, including freshwater and medical supplies, throughout tsunami-stricken areas. They also used helicopters to transport relief workers and medical personnel from non-government agencies to these areas. CSG medical personnel provided care for tsunami victims to include surgeries, primary care, preventative care, and dental care. Other CSG forces strengthened seawalls, cleared debris from 22 schools, demolished 26 unsafe buildings, and pumped contaminated water from wells.

A Tsunami Victim’s Story
In the coastal village of Kahawa, A. P. Tudor Jayasekera and his wife stood in the ruins of what was once their home. They were not home when the tsunami struck their coastal village. Their four daughters and two sons escaped by climbing on the roof before their home collapsed. Unfortunately, Mr. Jayasekera lost his sister, nephew, and niece. “We have nothing left,” Mr. Jayasekera said. “We can’t build here again because the government won’t allow homes to be built closer than 100 meters from the coast.”

Mr. Jayasekera was staying in one of the many camps that housed more than a million people left homeless. Relief workers in the camps distributed food and supplies flown in on U.S. Air Force aircraft. Nearby, jutting from the debris, were white flags made from sheets or shirts that marked the location where loved ones are missing and presumed dead. Six thousand such flags dotted the eastern and southern end of Sri Lanka.

Down the road from Mr. Jayasekera’s village, children used crayons to draw dead bodies in the waves and people bleeding and dying on land. An overturned train dominated many of the pictures. A commuter train was traveling through the children’s small village when the tsunami slammed into the rail cars and flipped them on their sides. All but one of the 1,500 passengers died. Australian and U.S. forces plan to return the railroad system to its original layout and conduct construction projects at relief camps throughout Sri Lanka.

Clearing Debris
The damage from the tsunami stretched across the eastern and southern coasts – more than 400 miles (644 kilometers). Survivors were dealing with contaminated water and structural damage caused by the force of the tsunami, rendering many buildings beyond repair. Australian soldiers and U.S. forces distributed freshwater and moved large rocks to strengthen the city’s seawall.

In Boosa, Sri Lankan sailors and U.S. Marine engineers built a seawall and moved debris to a landfill at the Sri Lankan Navy Base there.

In Gintota, U.S. Marines helped clean up debris. “The Sri Lankans are happy we are here . . . but you can tell they are still sad,” said U.S. Marine Capt. Ted Veggeberg. “It’s their lives we’re hauling away here.” He noted that the rubble at one site in Gintota was nearly six feet (1.8 meters) high before the Marines’ front-loading tractors removed the remains of at least 15 homes.

In Galle, U.S. Marines and sailors used a bulldozer and forklift to move debris and demolish a severely damaged schoolhouse. They also cut up fallen trees and pulled them out of the schoolyard. In the harbor area, CSG forces returned five boats displaced by the tsunami and reinforced the seawall.

Working with local officials in Koggala, Australian soldiers, U.S. Navy Seabee engineers, and U.S. Marines cleared a schoolhouse site of rubble, demolished two unstable structures, and reconstructed restroom facilities on the school grounds.

Delivering Relief Supplies
U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft and \ HH-60G Pavehawk helicopters delivered food, medicine, water purification tablets, dehydration prevention tablets, hygiene kits, plastic sheeting, and water to tsunami victims in areas difficult \ to access. In helicopters packed to the ceiling, the crews flew from one location to another delivering the much-needed supplies. They also transported doctors and relief workers from non-government agencies and military personnel from other nations.

In Colombo, U.S. Air Force Maj. Mark Ledbetter briefed his aircrew about the day’s mission. Their task was to assist in providing relief supplies to more than a million people left homeless in temporary shelters provided by local government officials. The camps were difficult to reach because of washed-out bridges and roads. Debris covered many roads, making them impassable. In many places, helicopters were the only way to bring in doctors, medicine, food, and supplies to camps that housed the homeless.

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