Storm Surge: Special Operations Support to the Hurricane Georges Humanitarian Crisis

Land Fall, Dominican Republic, 22 September

As Hurricane Georges plowed over Puerto Rico wreaking havoc on the island, the storm reemerged over warm tropical waters of the Mona Passage. Re-strengthening to a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds, Georges struck the Dominican Republic at that level of intensity. Hurricane-force winds, storm surges, and torrential rains pounded the island for hours on end, wreaking havoc on the inhabitants. Nearly 10 hours of rainfall created mudslides and overflowed rivers across the mountainous country, damaging cities along the southern coast, including the capital, Santo Domingo. 120 mph winds downed and uprooted trees across much of the country, littering streets with debris and mud. Thousands of houses were demolished by the flooding and winds. The entire country was stripped of electricity during the storm, which damaged water pumping stations and communication systems.

The effects of Hurricane Georges on the Dominican Republic were some of the worst in its recorded history. Georges produced $1 billion USD in damages and killed over 380 people. 7000 people evacuated to six shelters in the capital city of Santo Domingo during the storm’s approach. Hurricane Georges became the worst storm to affect the island since Hurricane David made direct landfall in 1979.

Special Operations Command South (SOCSOUTH,) Corozal Panama, 22 September

Driving along the Canal Zone, the Company Commander, Major Richard Liebl, pondered the nature of the urgent summons to SOCSOUTH.  Arriving at Corozal, he was briskly escorted into the briefing room and the nature of the unexpected call from SOCSOUTH revealed itself.  Hurricane Georges had wreaked havoc on the Dominican Republic and SOCSOUTH was tasked to send in a Disaster Assessment Survey Team (DAST) to assess the damage and assist in the recovery effort. The J-3, Colonel Kevin Higgins, gave an overview of the situation and remarked that most of the information available was coming from open-source reporting.  Commander SOCSOUTH, Brigadier General James Parker, needed eyes on the ground, and he needed them fast.  Charlie Company was to prepare a 6-person team to serve as the SOCSOUTH DAST and be ready to deploy in 24 hours. 

In addition to the Charlie Company personnel, the J-3 briefed that the DAST would also consist of a Special Operations Communications Assemblage (SOCA) team and a senior U.S. Air Force Combat Controller, who would come from the ranks of SOCSOUTH personnel. The Special Forces component to the team would need to assemble their gear and equipment for a mission of unknown duration and be ready to fly to Santo Domingo the next day… 

Battery Pratt, Fort Sherman Panama, 22 September

With his new marching orders, Major Liebl drove back to Fort Sherman and began planning and preparations in earnest. Arriving back at Battery Pratt, Major Liebl, and the Company Sergeant Major, SGM Richard Kimmich, assembled to discuss the team composition. It was decided that rather than select a split-A team from one detachment, this would be a composite team drawn from individuals throughout the company. The first criteria for selecting the team members were language skills. As the Dominican Republic was a Spanish-speaking country, individuals selected for the team needed to be fluent in the language. It was also decided that given the humanitarian assistance nature of the mission, the team members would be drawn from the medical, engineer, and communications specialties. 

News of the “special mission” spread quickly throughout the company and there was no shortage of volunteers. Several Team Sergeants offered their teams for the mission. After careful consideration, a select number of individuals were called in and interviewed. This was done in order to assess their language skills, to determine if there were any extenuating circumstances that might impact their ability to conduct the mission (such as upcoming professional development schools or urgent family matters), and to see if they had previous experiences with humanitarian relief operations. After careful consideration, 6 members were selected, a Captain, who was to serve as the team leader, a Master Sergeant Team Sergeant who was also a trained medic, two additional medics, and two engineer sergeants. The members were quickly briefed on the mission concept and then began assembling their gear. Later that afternoon, the team, along with Major Liebl, drove back to SOCSOUTH headquarters.

Arriving at the headquarters, the team was met by the J-3 and J-2 who briefed the team on the mission. The concept of the operation was straightforward, the team of 6 Special Forces soldiers, 1 Senior USAF Combat Controller, and a 3-man Special Operations Communication Assemblage (SOCA) team would fly in a USAF MC-130 Combat Talon from Howard Air Force base tomorrow morning. Upon arrival at Santo Domingo, the team would be met by a member of the U.S. Embassy, who would aid with quartering and logistics support. The team would establish communications with SOCSOUTH and set up operations to provide detailed assessments and assist the Country Team with its overall humanitarian assistance objectives. The following day, two MH-60s from D Company, 160^th SOAR would self-deploy to Santo Domingo to assist in delivering humanitarian relief supplies. The team would provide security to the 160^th aircraft and assist with the delivery of relief supplies arriving at the International Airport. Any military airlift coordination requirements would be facilitated through the Air Force Combat Controller on the team.

After the briefing, the team poured over all the available intelligence information, trying to piece together an idea of what lay ahead. Open-source reporting painted a grim assessment of conditions on the ground. Widespread reports of rioting and looting made the headlines, giving the impression of a potentially chaotic and precarious environment. The Joint Chief of Staff standing Rules of Engagement (ROE) were reviewed by the team. It was emphasized that the team was to exercise sound judgment and restraint but if US personnel were in grave danger or equipment threatened with imminent destruction, they had the authority to invoke those ROE.

As the team completed their preparations, Colonel Higgins turned to Major Liebl, “Oh, one more thing, Commander SOCSOUTH thinks there needs to be Field Grade oversight of this mission, so Major go get your gear, you’re going in with the team.”

Howard Air Force Base, Panama, 23 September

As the team boarded the MC-130 at Howard Air Force base, it was the first time all the elements of the group were introduced to each other. After a brief set of introductions, the team loaded their gear and equipment and took off for the Dominican Republic. While onboard, the SOCA team set up operations and established a communications link with SOCSOUTH while airborne. As the plane flew towards its destination, the team members all sat in quiet contemplation.

As the MC-130 began its approach into Santo Domingo, the team got their first look at the devastation wrought by Hurricane Georges. It was a surreal experience…from the air, it appeared as though a giant hand had swept across the entire island and in one enormous swoop, had cut a swath of destruction miles wide across the island. Trees, houses, and structures of every type lay completely flattened.  The terrain looked beaten and tattered.

It was a sobering view as the MC-130 descended into Santo Domingo airport.

Las Américas International Airport, Santo Domingo, 23 September

As the MC-130 taxied into its parking apron, the team readied itself. Flooding and wind damage from Hurricane Georges caused extensive damage to the island’s main airport in Santo Domingo but from the aircraft windows, it did appear to be operational. With the reports of looting fresh in their minds, the decision was made that the team would carry its weapons off the plane and set up a security perimeter around the aircraft until the situation could be assessed and contact established with the local airport authorities. With any luck, a representative from the U.S. Embassy would meet them planeside. As the ramp lowered, the hot, humid tropical air funneled in, mixing with the fumes from the aircraft engines.

Descending the ramp, the team moved around the aircraft, and Major Liebl and the Captain walked in the direction of the terminal. The airport was busy with various aircraft on the tarmac, appearing to be shuttling in relief supplies. The whole scene had frenetic energy but otherwise appeared to be stable and under control. Clearly, there was no threat of desperate people swarming the aircraft. 

As they approached what appeared to be the operations center near the tower, Major Liebl spied a Dominican Army officer and what appeared to be someone from the Embassy. The team leadership approached, introduced themselves, and identified the purpose of their mission. In a surprisingly angry and incomprehensible tone, the Dominican officer lashed out, angrily demanding to know if we were invading his country!? This caught the team leadership off guard. The representative from the Embassy followed up, saying that the “General” was extremely upset that we had deplaned with weapons in hand and an explanation had better be good, as this was about to erupt into a major international incident. 

Sensing the mission was already potentially in jeopardy, the team leadership quickly explained that they had been told of the possibility of looters ransacking the airport and, for force protection reasons, they were required to carry their weapons. At the same time, they assessed that the security situation warranted a less obvious force protection posture and the team quickly removed their weapons and tactical equipment and secured it out of public sight. Marshaling all available diplomatic skills, the team leadership explained that this was a misunderstanding and emphasized the humanitarian nature of their mission. After the situation was defused, the Dominican General appeared to be less upset and accepted the explanation. As the team further discussed the mission and mentioned the arrival of two Blackhawk helicopters to aid in delivering supplies, the situation improved, and an international incident was avoided.

In its haste to get into the country, the team’s “understanding of the operational environment” had been less than optimal.  Several valuable lessons were learned on the spot. Sensationalized open-source reporting can sometimes overdramatize the gravity of a situation. Additionally, understanding local history is important. The U.S. Army invaded the Dominican Republic in 1965, justifiably, there were legitimate sensitivities to armed soldiers entering a sovereign country in a non-combat situation. Lastly, make sure you know, and can recognize, the General Officer ranks of the host country.

The rest of the afternoon was less eventful, the team went right to work and set about the mission of offloading and securing equipment. Working with representatives of the host nation’s military, a secure storage facility was made available for the team’s equipment and weapons. Several SUV rental vehicles were acquired and with the assistance of the Embassy, billeting was secured in the Hotel, Jaragua in downtown Santo Domingo. 

The “Jaragua,” Santo Domingo

For security reasons, the Embassy put many of the incoming U.S. government personnel and humanitarian assistance workers in the Jaragua. It was a dreamlike experience when the team entered the Jaragua, almost like something from a movie. As the capital was still recovering from the destruction of the hurricane, the Jaragua was one of only a handful of hotels operating at full capacity.  The lobby was filled with energy, as aid workers, reporters, airline crews, government officials all hurried about. 

Trooping into the lobby in Battle Dress uniforms, carting around Pelican cases of gear, the team barely garnered attention. As one of the few hotels still in operation, its 4-Star accommodations and casino made the devastation from Hurricane Georges seem remotely distant.

As the team settled in, the SOCA team set up communications and sent in its initial reports to SOCSOUTH. Within a matter of minutes, the team was in communications and ready to go to work.  That evening, the team huddled in the hotel room where the SOCA team had set up the communications suite. This room would serve as the Operations Center for the duration of the mission.  The team decided it would have two immediate lines of effort, the key leaders would head to the Embassy first thing in the morning to meet with the Country Team, the rest of the team would head back to the airport where the Air Force Combat Controller would start working with the airport authorities to coordinate with the incoming relief flights. At the airport, the team would also coordinate for the inbound MH-60s from Delta Company.

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