By USSOUTHCOM Public Affairs

MIAMI -- To date, U.S. Southern Command-directed forces have transported approximately 240,000 pounds in emergency aid to Nicaraguan communities affected by Hurricane Felix.

U.S. military helicopters, including CH-47 Chinooks, MH-53 Sea Dragons and SH-60 Seahawks, have flown more than 40 sorties conducting search and rescue missions and transporting essential aid from Managua to Puerto Cabezas and other outlying communities. The helicopters distributed more than 19,000 pounds of rice donated by the World Food Program, as well as tarps, military MREs (meals ready to eat), bottled drinking water, plastic sheeting, wool blankets, family hygiene kits and a water purification system.

Over the past 48 hours, the U.S. Navy frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) relieved the amphibious ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), and SH-60 Seahawk helicopters from the frigate began distributing 1,000 five-gallon water containers to communities in the affected region. USS Samuel B. Roberts is scheduled to depart the Puerto Cabezas coastal waters Wednesday.

“USS Wasp departs the Caribbean Sea having successfully served as the flagship of the U.S. government response efforts in Nicaragua,” said Adm. James Stavridis. “Her crew and the crew of the USS Samuel B. Roberts came into the region to support a fictional training exercise in Panama and wound up saving lives and bringing relief to thousands of Nicaraguans affected by Hurricane Felix.”

USS Samuel B. Roberts helicopters will remain in Nicaragua to support ongoing U.S. relief efforts.

Following a disaster declaration issued Wednesday by U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua, Paul A. Trivelli, U.S. Southern Command directed the deployment of two disaster response teams from Joint Task Force Bravo, based at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras, to work alongside the men and women aboard USS Wasp in response to the humanitarian crises that remained in the wake of the category five hurricane and distributing aid to victims in communities affected by the storm.

U.S. military hurricane relief operations in Nicaragua are conducted in close cooperation with Nicaraguan emergency response officials, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.

“The U.S. military response effort to Nicaragua has truly been a joint/interagency undertaking,” said Stavridis, “The ability of these men and women in uniform to respond so quickly and with such enthusiasm should make all Americans proud.”

On Saturday, the command also dispatched a U.S. Air Force C-130 to transport 25,000 pounds of USAID aid from Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., to a Puerto Cabezas airfield. The relief supplies airlifted by the C-130 included 140 rolls of plastic sheeting, hygiene kits capable of supporting a family of five for up to two weeks and wool blankets.