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CARREFOUR, Haiti — Amidst the mass confusion and chaos after a disaster, a steady hand that helps clear the way and guides the road to recovery is a welcome friend for those affected.
After a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the country of Haiti, Jan. 12, 2010, leveling buildings and taking the lives of an estimated 250,000 people, the U.S. responded by deploying troops and providing immediate relief supplies and assistance. Though this may seem like a simple task, the organization and coordination, it takes to ensure the relief meets the need of the people, takes special skills.
For the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, that skill comes in the form of the civil-military operation center.
"The mission of the CMOC was to act as a bridge between the people and the local government," said Staff Sgt. Jerrick D. Croston, a civil affairs team chief with 4th Civil Affairs Group, 22nd MEU.
When members of Maritime Civil Affairs Team 207 landed Jan. 15, 2010, the streets were empty, the markets where closed and basic essentials were unavailable.
"The people were in obvious need," said Lt. J.G. Jason Schechter, MCAT 207 Team Leader. "Our primary mission was to gain situational awareness of which [non-governmental organizations] has been here and will be here after the military leaves."
Once the situation was assessed, the CMOC's mission shifted to facilitating relationships between the local Haitian government and leaders and the NGOs.
"We had over 400 NGOs register with us," Schechter continued. "We helped them help themselves by connecting the dots between the aid provided, and how to get the aid to the people."
The CMOC accomplished this mission by dividing the city of Carrefour into sectors and assigning a local leader to be in charge of each sector.
"The local community leaders know their community more than we can ever imagine," Schechter said.
Once the sectors were established, each got an equal share of aid and supplies, he added.
"We do everything we can to work with the host nation," said Schechter. "We've had a tremendous impact on helping them minimize security risks and finding an effective method to distribute emergency supplies."
Larger aid organizations, with distribution plants already established in Haiti, played a pivotal role in the success of the supply distribution, the Camarillo, Calif., native added.
Now, nearly two months after the devastation, the CMOC is nearly non-existent.
"We have worked ourselves out of a job," Schechter joked.
The civil affairs teams did such a good job at building up the aid organizations and facilitating their relationships, over the last few weeks they have slowly removed themselves from the equation, Schechter explained.
"Our mission now is to observe and assess effectiveness," Schechter said. "The NGOs and local government have taken over."
For the month of March, the aid organizations and local government of Carrefour are scheduled to distribute more than 1,300 metric tons of food, which includes rice beans, oil, salt and cornmeal, reaching an estimated 50,000 people.
"Things are starting to get back to normal," Schechter explained. "Businesses are open, food is available on the market and people are returning to life as normal."
| Date Taken: | 03.10.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2010 11:17 |
| Story ID: | 46660 |
| Location: | CARREFOUR, HT |
| Web Views: | 427 |
| Downloads: | 363 |
This work, Civil Affairs Teams Help Organize Chaos after Disaster, by SSgt Wayne Campbell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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