War Is Boring

The USS Kearsarge assault ship has arrived off Haiti as flood waters have begun to recede from last week’s storms, The Associated Press reports:

The death toll — which government officials said stood at 312 people in four tropical storms in less than a month — is sure to rise as more bodies surface in the mud.

Kearsarge‘s choppers (pictured) have begun scouting for landing zones:

“We can deliver several thousand tons a day. It’s not what we can do, it’s how it can be done,” said the mission’s commander, Capt. Fernandez “Frank” Ponds. “We can’t just land them anywhere, so we’re doing assessments. We have to make sure they can land safely.”

One of the helicopters delivered rice, beans and cooking oil from the World Food Program to the town of Jeremie on Haiti’s southwest peninsula. A woman who cares for 110 children at the Haiti Gospel orphanage was among about 50 people asking for a share.

What will be the long-term effect of Kearsarge‘s work? Hopefully “lasting friendly relations with countries that, for a long time, barely registered on the Pentagon’s radar,” as I discussed in my recent Washington Times piece.

But in the meantime, it’s a race against time to save Haiti. Starvation, dehydration and disease could claim many more lives.

“We’re hungry,” said Nicolas Jean-Charles on the flooded road in northern Haiti, lifting his T-shirt to point to a hollow stomach.

(Photo: me)

Related:
Kearsarge diverted for storm relief
Kearsarge series
Navy ship explores Africa soft-power strategy
Catamarans = small sea base

Related posts:

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2. Navy Amphib Diverts for Haiti Relief
3. Chinese, U.S. Troops on Joint Haiti Patrols
4. Navy Commander on Haiti Hospital-Ship Delays
5. Humanitarian Clearing House for Haiti
6. Haiti Relief Unites Rivals — or Does It?
7. World Politics Review: U.S. Navy Awakens to Irregular Warfare