Air Force cargo planes began flying supplies into Colombia over the weekend, after a massive earthquake devastated large parts of the country and killed at least 285 people.
U.S. airmen are helping to move resources into the country, as the State Department, which is leading the response, announced a humanitarian assistance program. The first plane, an Air Force C-17 Globemaster, arrived in Bogota overnight on Aug. 14. Another C-17 landed in Medellín on Sunday, with airmen unloading pallets of supplies, according to U.S. Southern Command.
According to the State Department, military planes are transporting supplies from a prepositioned warehouse in Miami. Cargo flights are departing from Homestead Air Force Base in southern Florida. The first plane carried water as well as hygiene and shelter supplies to be given to relief groups on the ground. A second flight brought Starlink kits to help restore Internet access following the quake.
Alongside military-ferried supplies, two urban search and rescue technical support teams also flew into Colombia to help first responders search for survivors.
The 7.4-magnitude quake hit western and central Colombia on Aug. 10. Alongside nearly 300 killed, hundreds more remain missing as responders continue to clear debris.
It’s the second time in two months that American forces flew in emergency aid from the United States after a major earthquake hit a South American country. In late June, a pair of 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes hit Venezuela, damaging large swaths of the country and killing more than 6,300 people. Members of the 621st Contingency Response Wing flew in supplies and air traffic controllers, while Marines from Littoral Combat Force-24, the force deployed to the Caribbean, were sent to assist. Roughly 2,000 troops participated in the effort, which involved aircraft, an amphibious transport dock and 900 American service members operating inside of Venezuela. The last members of the earthquake response team left Venezuela on July 25, after a month of on-the-ground work.
Task & Purpose reached out to Southern Command about the extent of the military’s assistance and if troops, ships or additional aircraft would be deployed to help Colombia, similar to the response in Venezuela. SOUTHCOM directed questions to the State Department, which did not immediately answer questions about additional military deployments.
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