Canadian aid arriving in Haiti

Further to this post, a news release from Canadian Expeditionary Force Command:

Canadian Forces provides Humanitarian Aid to Haïti

CEFCOM NR 08.034 - September 18, 2008

OTTAWA – In cooperation with the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP), Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship St. John’s is currently engaged in a life-saving effort involving the delivery by sea and air of 350 metric tonnes of urgently needed relief supplies, including food aid, to the affected south and southwest regions of Haiti.

Following the Government of Canada’s decision to support humanitarian operations in Haiti, HMCS St. John’s was deployed on September 10, 2008.

As part of the humanitarian effort, the WFP requested the assistance of HMCS St. John’s to transport aid to the disaster area. The Canadian Forces will assist the WFP with the delivery of food stocks until September 25^th , 2008.

HMCS St. John’s is a Halifax based Canadian Patrol Frigate that has a crew of 225. The ship is also carrying a CH 124 Sea King helicopter and an air detachment from 12 Wing Shearwater to support the humanitarian effort.

Canada has committed $5 million in humanitarian assistance for Haitians affected by the devastating hurricanes that swept through the Caribbean. This is in addition to the initial $600,000 pledged immediately following the disaster. These funds will be channeled through trusted humanitarian partners to provide water and sanitation, food, shelter and health care to those who are most in need.

Haiti is the largest recipient of Canadian development assistance in the Americas, with a commitment of $555 million over five years. Canada takes a comprehensive approach in its support for Haiti, with a program designed to meet the needs of the people, reinforce the Haitian government, improve security and access to essential services and elevate overall living conditions in Haiti.

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Information on all current and past missions is available on the Canadian Expeditionary Force Command (CEFCOM) website (www.cefcom.forces.gc.ca).

Another story from CEFCOM (with more photos):

HMCS St. John’s hauls food to hurricane victims

By Charmion Chaplin-Thomas, CEFCOM Public Affairs

The Halifax-class frigate HMCS St. John’s is in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, loading high-protein cereal blend provided by the World Food Programme for shipment to areas that are still inaccessible by road because of damage caused by the storm surges and high winds of Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Hanna. The Government of Canada diverted St. John’s from a drug-interdiction operation to join the relief effort led by the United Nations (especially the World Food Programme) and the International Red Cross.