The following is the October 9 update on Joint Task Force-Matthew support to relief efforts in Haiti:
•As of Oct. 9, Joint Task Force-Matthew has delivered 50,000 pounds of relief commodities (aid and supplies) to areas devastated by Hurricane Matthew.
•Approximately 300 task force personnel are on the ground in Haiti.
•The U.S. Navy amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) is now anchored in Haitian waters with 700 Sailors and Marines on board.
•With the addition of USS Mesa Verde’s embarked capabilities, JTF-Matthew now has 12 helicopters and one landing craft supporting USAID-led relief operations to aid victims of the storm.
•The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), with more than 500 Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, aircraft and 225 pallets of supplies, is underway and headed to Haiti.
•Today, the task force will continue delivering life-support provisions donated by USAID and international relief organizations to storm survivors at or near Jeremie in the south-western region of Haiti.
•A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon, based out of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, will continue to conduct aerial assessments of areas devastated by the storm to support disaster assessment experts on the ground in Haiti.