When a devastating earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday, it knocked out the control tower at Port-au-Prince airport. A team of Air Force special operators has now reopened the airport -- and is working to keep things running so that more relief can arrive.
*Join Reddit's Haiti relief fundraising drive with Direct Relief International.*The 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, 720th Special Tactics Group, is overseeing air traffic control at Port-au-Prince airport. Lt. Col. Brett Nelson, commander of the squadron, told reporters in a roundtable this afternoon that air operations were continuing, although they had experienced a "significant slowdown" because of a lack of ground support equipment.
Critically, the airfield has only two fuel trucks and two towbars for all the planes coming into Port-au-Prince. "When an aircraft lands and requires fuel or has to be moved around on the airfield by towing, it significantly delays us processing that aircraft and getting it back out," Nelson said.
According to Nelson, the airport would be able to continue operations at night. "Airfield lighting is operational," he said. "We have the personnel capability and we have portable light systems ... In the event the lighting goes out we can turn on within 30 minutes and continue operations as normal."
Air Force special operators have thus far rescued seven people from collapsed buildings. "The first 72 hours are critical," said Maj. Jason Daniels, the director of operations for the 720th Operations Support Squadron.
Other military assets are on their way, including a contingency response group from Air Mobility Command. Above, sailors of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 7 prepare to for departure to aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, currently en route to Haiti.
[PHOTO: U.S. Department of Defense]
