Earthquake in Haiti

[Smoothice]

Would something like the 7.0 in Hati ever prompt the government to ask for CAP's help in a foriegn country? Especially a poor one with limited resources? Of course, I would think that the National Guard would go first.

Thanks

[C-150]

Might be possible. Doubt it though. Maybe we should establish a strong medical corp. The Maryland State Defense Force Med Corp has been known to deploy. They went to Bosnia a few years ago and I think Central America. Hati would be with a resonse reach of the PR and Fl wings.

[Gunner C]

Honestly, you don't want anything to do with Haiti.  Huge crime, huge disease vectors, no infrastructure.  I'd leave this to the pros.

[Hawk200]

Would something like the 7.0 in Hati ever prompt the government to ask for CAP's help in a foriegn country?

I doubt that CAP will ever be specifically be asked for by a foreign country, we're just not that well known.

Second: I doubt we would have sufficient numbers to go on such a mission.

Third: CAP, of itself, does not have the training or equipment to support it.

Gunner has already stated the best reasons.

[JoeTomasone]

I was going to say much of the same, but then I realized that we could easily do aerial recon.  Haiti is only a few hundred statue miles from Miami; should be feasible to base out of Miami, overfly, and return, no?  Would our fleet have the range?

[JayT]

I was going to say much of the same, but then I realized that we could easily do aerial recon.  Haiti is only a few hundred statue miles from Miami; should be feasible to base out of Miami, overfly, and return, no?  Would our fleet have the range?

For what purpose? I'm sure that the AF has assest capable of much moe detailed recon deployed. Why risk volunteers in a dinky airplane?

[Hawk200]

I was going to say much of the same, but then I realized that we could easily do aerial recon.  Haiti is only a few hundred statue miles from Miami; should be feasible to base out of Miami, overfly, and return, no?  Would our fleet have the range?

For what purpose? I'm sure that the AF has assest capable of much moe detailed recon deployed. Why risk volunteers in a dinky airplane?

I'd have to agree. We don't need to be doing extended overwater flights. Something goes wrong, and the aircraft goes down, we'd probably never find it.

[Al Sayre]

Direct it's about 700 miles from MIA to Port-au-Prince, mostly over water, and would transit Cuban Airspace.  You could probably island hop through the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos etc. 

It's only 90 over water from Mayaguez Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic, so if anyone was going to do it it would likely be PR Wing.  I'm reasonably sure they would be permitted to overfly the D.R. and/or stop for fuel, but it's still ~ 350 miles to Port-au-Prince total.

[Gunner C]

Still, those folks are going to need all the help they can get.  After two generations of the Duvalier family plus a couple more characters in charge, the entire country is a basket case.  Throw a devistating disaster on top of it and it becomes something of unimaginable magnitudes.

Pray for these folks.

[flyerthom]

CAP medical people alone I doubt it. CAP medical people as NGO or Air Force people as part of Continuing Promise 2010 http://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/factfiles.php?id=103  why not?

Continuing Promise will most likely have a role in missions for the long term follow up. I wonder if we could be a small part of it?

[RogueLeader]

There are also reports of prisoners escaping from prison, the airport at Port Au Price is open, but most pilots refuse to use it much. . . .   I'm not volunteering to go.

[JoeTomasone]

It's only 90 over water from Mayaguez Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic, so if anyone was going to do it it would likely be PR Wing.  I'm reasonably sure they would be permitted to overfly the D.R. and/or stop for fuel, but it's still ~ 350 miles to Port-au-Prince total.

Ah, very good point.   :clap:

As to the "why CAP" question -- I don't know; perhaps ARCHER?  Don't mistake me for someone knowledgeable on USAF SAR capabilities.

[bosshawk]

Great sympathetic response to a terrible disaster, but we are not the agency to participate.  Most of the time, we have trouble responding to disasters in our own states, nevermind crossing 700 miles of water in single engine planes.  Gunner C has a very good handle on the place: I wouldn't go within a half continent of Haiti.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Great sympathetic response to a terrible disaster, but we are not the agency to participate.  Most of the time, we have trouble responding to disasters in our own states, nevermind crossing 700 miles of water in single engine planes.  Gunner C has a very good handle on the place: I wouldn't go within a half continent of Haiti.

No vacations to Florida this year then?

[RiverAux]

Would something like the 7.0 in Hati ever prompt the government to ask for CAP's help in a foriegn country? Especially a poor one with limited resources? Of course, I would think that the National Guard would go first.

Thanks

I very much doubt that any foreign government is ever going to ask specifically for CAP, but I don't know of any legal reason that if the AF was involved in the response that they couldn't request CAP support in some form or fashion.  Except for perhaps traditional CAP DR missions just over the border in Canada or Mexico, I'm not quite sure what CAP would be able to bring to the table for overseas missions.  Of course, there is the possibility that the AF could start using CAP members in various individual roles overseas (interpreters, for example).  That is probably more likely where CAP could be used rather than our usual roles.

[Pumbaa]

Haiti had an earthquake... a devastating  one at that. High casualty numbers are expected. So, what happens next? America comes to the rescue, that's what. The American military is involved. The U.S. SOCOM and JFCOM were gearing up for a relief effort within hours after the earthquake.

Why? Well .. because that's just what we do, that's why. We're Americans! 

I'm now on call 24/7 for the team in the JDC.

[Spike]

^ That's what we do right.  I hate to see people suffer, any person, but the Haitians were not very friendly toward Americans for a very long time.  The Government is repressive, criminals routinely pass drugs through that island to the US and last time I looked it was on the State Departments list of "don't travel to" listing.

I fear that the food we deliver and tax dollars we give (USAID) will only benefit the corrupt drug lords and the criminal Government there. 

Unless we send combat forces in (AGAIN) to distribute resources I doubt assistance will go to who needs it.

[Spaceman3750]

Just heard on the TV that a large USAR team out of California and their dogs are gearing up to head over.

[Spike]

AD Navy and Army are deploying.  Seems like we can better respond to a disaster in Haiti than we could in the Gulf States back in 2005. 

[SarMaster]

Just think of how much good our Cadets and Rangers will do in Haiti!  We should load up our Cessnas and take everyone who has a 101 card.   Dont forget to bring the walkers for the old seniors too.    ARCHER too....We can take black and white pics with fake colors overlayed to show NOTHING!!!

We can all walk door to door and self deploy...Like Katrina... Yes we will do a lot of good.