Joint Task Force - Leeward Islands begins evacuation of U.S. citizens in Dominica
U.S. citizens board a U.S. Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter with Joint Task Force - Leeward Islands at Douglas-Charles Airport in Dominica, Sept. 24, 2017. U.S. service members with JTF-LI set up an evacuation control center at the airport to evacuate U.S. citizens stranded on Dominica after Hurricane Maria. At the request of partner nations and both the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development, JTF-LI has deployed aircraft and service members to areas in the eastern Caribbean Sea affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria. The task force is a U.S. military unit composed of Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen, and represents U.S. Southern Command’s primary response to both disasters. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ian Leones)