A view of an affected area in Haiti from the Dutch Defence helicopter. (Dutch Defence photo)
THE HAGUE--Dutch Defence has been actively involved in providing humanitarian aid since it arrived in Haiti, Saturday. Dutch military personnel have been carrying out the tasks they received from the coordinating relief organisations.
With the assistance of the NH90 helicopter stationed on board the Dutch Navy vessel HNLMS Holland, a location was sought to set up an emergency hospital at Aquin. There is a great need for proper medical care for the many earthquake victims. Earlier reconnaissance exercises in the area of Baradères yielded no results. The hospital, financed by the European Union (EU), is under construction.
At Les Cayes, the HNLMS Holland dropped off 40 men and women of the French Military Fire Department, who will construct a sewage installation. Because the Dutch Navy ship could not moor in Les Cayes, two fast FRISC vessels were used for the drop-off exercise.
There are few other possibilities to reach the affected area because many roads have been severely damaged. The roads are also unsafe due to criminal activities of gangs. For this reason, much of the transport takes place by sea, and at times by air.
The coordinating relief organisations such as Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) are in dire need of logistical support and reconnaissance capacity. The Netherlands has been able to assist with this.
On Monday, large amounts of relief goods were unloaded in Aquin. Dutch Defence personnel who assisted in this operation in Aquin, but also in Les Cayes, were well received by the local population, who were glad to receive assistance.
According to Dutch Defence, the interaction with the local population was extremely friendly. “Our presence has a major impact on the population, and that was clearly visible from the air,” said Lieutenant Commander 2nd Class (aviator) Chris.
Dutch caretaker Minister of Defence Ank Bijleveld informed the Dutch Parliament that the HNLMS Holland will initially be deployed to Haiti for 14 days. The ship was loaded with food, water, and relief goods in Curaçao, where the vessel is normally stationed, last Friday.
The Netherlands works closely in this operation for humanitarian assistance with the European partners, including France and the United Kingdom, as well as with the United States and the countries in the region.
