Capt Jeff Noel

Team Winnipeg members have been key participants in Canada’s efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Haiti after a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the Caribbean nation last week leaving severe structural damage and an unknown death toll.

Among those deployed are aircrews from 435 ‘Chinthe’ Transport and Rescue (T&R) Squadron flying CC-130 Hercules transport aircraft with their counterparts flying CC-177 Globemaster III’s. They will be airlifting hundreds of tonnes of relief supplies, equipment and personnel into Haiti and then returning home with Canadian survivors of the quake. Shortly after arriving in the capital of Port-au-Prince from Canada earlier this week with a cargo of equipment and supplies for Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), a 435 Squadron aircrew lead by Maj Scott Frost was tasked to transport Canadian Airfield Engineers into the southern Haitian city of Jacmel where they conducted a survey of the airport and runway for use by Canadian Forces aircraft.

“We were the first Canadian (CC-130) crew to land in Jacmel and the approach into Jacmel was challenging due to the tall trees on the edge of the runway so the entire crew worked together to ensure we could safely execute the landing,” said Maj Frost.  “As a Search and Rescue crew, we train for these type of short-field landings in remote northern Canadian communities.”   Jacmel, located approximately 40 kilometres southwest of Port-au-Prince, is the fourth largest City in Haiti with some 50,000 people. It was almost totally flattened by the quake with an estimated 75 percent of its buildings destroyed.

Liaison Officers from the Squadron and the 17 Wing Operations Centre, also deployed as part of Operation Hestia, have been instrumental in coordinating the movement of Canadian Air Force aircraft, material and personnel into and out of the congested Port-au-Prince airport with the United States Air Force who are overseeing operations there.  Additional 17 Wing personnel have been deployed to serve in key roles such as medical, logistics and security.

Asked about the disaster and devastation he has been a witness to during this mission, Maj Frost commented that, “It is horrific for the people of Haiti that they have had to go through this devastating time but it is great to see how the entire world has come together to help out a country in need.”