The U.S. Air Force reports that “since arriving Oct. 5, U.S. service members assigned to Joint Task Force Matthew have been operating around the clock, providing aid to citizens of western Haiti.”

“The team has been conducting 24-hour operations at the request of Haiti’s government to support the U.S. Agency for International Development’s disaster relief efforts in the critical early stages of the response.”

“’USAID requested the unique capabilities of the military because we needed to transport critically needed relief supplies to the affected areas,’ said Tim Callaghan, the leader of the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team. ‘Because of the airlift they provided, we were able to move food, water and other supplies — things that helped save lives — to communities that needed it most.’”

“U.S. Southern Command established JTF Matthew under the command of Navy Rear Adm. Cedric Pringle, the deputy director of Joint Interagency Task Force South, to oversee U.S. military efforts in Haiti. To date the JTF has moved more than 480 metric tons of relief supplies to Haitians whose communities were devastated by Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 4 causing more than 1,000 deaths.”