Supporting Hurricane Matthew Relief in Haiti

Joint Task Force-Matthew supported the critical, early stages of U.S. disaster assistance to Haiti led by USAID. U.S. military forces delivered more than 600,000 pounds of aid to areas devastated by Hurricane Matthew.

U.S. service members stack boxes of aid which and water while off loading a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook during an aid relief mission Oct. 14, 2016 in Anse d'Hainault, Haiti. Haiti was devastated by hurricane Matthew which killed more than 800 people. Joint Task Force Matthew is a comprised of multinational partners who are working together to provide and bring aid to those in need in Haiti. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Labbe)

Pallets of oral hydration fluid are loaded onto a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules at Homestead Air Reserve Base.

Pallets of oral hydration fluid sit in a warehouse in Doral, Fla. April 23, 2024, prior to transport to Toussaint Louverture International Airport, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

A U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft sits on the tarmac at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, April 23, 2024.

Doctors perform surgery on USNS Comfort during earthquake relief efforts in Haiti in 2010. The U.S. military deployed over 22,000 personnel to Haiti to save lives and mitigate suffering following an earthquake on 12 January. (Source: U.S. Southern Command)

U.S. Marines and Sailors of Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, off-load three Haitian patients from a MH-60 helicopter, Feb. 5, 2010. The patients were transported from the USNS Comfort. (DoD Photo)

An aerial view shows Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, January 23, 2010.

A shipment of 300,000 packets of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), donated by U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), is loaded onto an Amerijet cargo plane for transit to Haiti.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Northland (WMEC 904) patrols with the Haitian Coast Guard in vicinity of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Oct. 12, 2022.

Graphic depicting updates from U.S. military support to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Text: At the request of the government of Haiti and in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Joint Task Force-Haiti conducted foreign disaster assistance operations Aug. 15 - Sept. 2 to aid victims of a devastating earthquake in Haiti’s Southern Claw as part of a whole-of-government effort. 19 helicopters, 6 ships and 8 transport aircraft. 671 total missions (DoD and U.S. Coast Guard). 587,950 pounds transported. 477 people assisted or rescued. Numbers reflect operations from Aug. 15 - Sept. 2, 2021.

Joint Task Force (JTF)-Haiti completed its final mission in support of the earthquake response on September 2.

Joint Task Force (JTF)-Haiti completed its final mission in support of the earthquake response.

An overhead image captured by Navy P-8 Poseidon shows the offload and delivery of earthquake aid transported from a U.S Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey.

Sgt. Francisco Silva (left) and Chief Warrant Officer two (CW2) Jean Rodriguez (right) from the Puerto Rico Army National Guard Aviation disembark their UH-72 helicopter after returning from a reconnaissance mission over La Hatte, Haiti, Aug. 25, 2021.

Aerial view of a community from a UH-72 helicopter of the Puerto Rico Army National Guard Aviation, Haiti, Aug. 25, 2021.

Chief Warrant Officer three (CW3) Norberto Martinez from the Puerto Rico Army National Guard Aviation looks down the right side of the aircraft during a reconnaissance flight over La Hatte, Haiti, Aug. 25, 2021.

Sgt. Francisco Silva, crew chief of the UH-72 helicopter, from the Puerto Rico Army National Guard Aviation operates the aircraft’s MX-15 camera during a flight over the community of L’Asile, Haiti, Aug. 24, 2021.

Sgt. Francisco Silva, Chief Warrant Officer two (CW2) Jean Rodriguez, and Chief Warrant Officer three (CW3) Norberto Martinez from the Puerto Rico Army National Guard Aviation conduct a crew-mission brief before departing to Port-au-Prince, Aug. 25, 2021

UH-72 helicopter from the Puerto Rico Army National Guard Aviation departs to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Aug. 25, 2021.

Team members with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pass a box of food to Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jace Borowiak to load onto an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter during a humanitarian aid mission

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jace Borowiak carries a box of food from an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter during a humanitarian aid mission supporting the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Aug. 25.

The Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10) operates off the coast of Haiti, Aug. 25, 2021.

Hurricane Matthew Relief Press Releases

Oct. 19, 2016

Update on Joint Task Force-Matthew Relief Mission in Haiti, October 19, 2016

Oct. 18, 2016

Update on Joint Task Force-Matthew Relief Mission in Haiti, October 18, 2016

Oct. 17, 2016

Update on Joint Task Force-Matthew Relief Mission in Haiti, October 17, 2016

Oct. 16, 2016

Update on Joint Task Force-Matthew Relief Mission in Haiti, October 16, 2016

Oct. 15, 2016

Update on Joint Task Force-Matthew Relief Mission in Haiti, October 15, 2016

Oct. 14, 2016

Update on Joint Task Force-Matthew Relief Mission in Haiti, October 14, 2016

Background Info

SOUTHCOM directed U.S. military forces to Haiti Oct. 5 to support a request by the government of Haiti to provide U.S. disaster relief operations led by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).

Any U.S. military foreign disaster relief mission is in support of U.S. Agency for International Development/Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), which serves as the lead U.S. federal agency for foreign disaster relief efforts.

Support must be requested by the host nation. U.S. military forces support the comprehensive U.S. government disaster response approach led by USAID/OFDA.

Historically, U.S. military capabilities are needed most in the critical early stages of a disaster relief operation, when fewer resources, capabilities and disaster-response experts are available to help victims and impacted communities. As those disaster-relief missions progress and more experienced experts arrive to aid longer-term recovery and reconstruction, U.S. military capabilities are no longer requested, and roles previously performed by military units are assumed by other, more experienced relief organizations.

Over the last several years, SOUTHCOM has provided disaster assistance to Haiti to help the Caribbean nation prepare for storms like Hurricane Matthew and other natural disasters, including the construction of emergency operations centers, disaster relief warehouses, fire stations and community centers that double as shelters. The command has also donated search and rescue boats, as well as transport vehicles to Haitian emergency response and civil protection agencies.