US embassy cable - 05TEGUCIGALPA2239

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 002239 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR PM, S/ES, AND WHA/CEN 
STATE PASS AID FOR OFDA 
SAN JOSE FOR OFDA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MOPS, EAID, PREL, HO 
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR EMERGENCY HELICOPTER ASSISTANCE FOR 
HONDURAS AFTER HURRICANE BETA 
 
REF: TEGUCIGALPA 02233 
 
1.  This is an action request.  Please see para 5. 
 
2.  Based on the deteriorating conditions and lack of food in 
Puerto Lempira in the remote Mosquitia region of Honduras due 
to the effects of Hurricane Beta, Post requests immediate 
emergency DoD assistence to airlift food, medicine, and 
hygiene supplies for approximately 11,000 evacuees.  The 
Honduran FEMA equivalent, COPECO, reports 8,000 in shelters, 
6,000 in heavily flooded Gracias a Dios Department.  Puerto 
Lempira has exhausted its food supply and more refugees are 
arriving as rivers continue to swell and flooding continues. 
Honduran relief plans will give them helicopter and maritime 
distribution capability, but this will not be in place until 
Saturday, November 5, 2005. Please note that no land routes 
are available to deliver supplies and the landing strip is a 
dirt runway. 
 
3.  On October 31, Honduran President Ricardo Maduro 
officially requested U.S. helicopter support to transport 
food, medicine, and supplies to the critically impacted 
areas.  The President told Charge on November 1 that the 
situation in the Gracios a Dios Department is worse than he 
had expected.  Apparently, President Maduro has cancelled his 
attendence at the Summit of the Americas in view of the state 
of emergency. 
 
4.  OFDA had chartered a small aircraft to shuttle food to 
the city of Lempira.  However, the condition of the dirt 
runway in Lempira makes an aircraft landing risky. 
Additionally, the USAID arranged private charter aircraft was 
unable to leave due to mechanical difficulties. 
 
5.  Action Request:  U.S. military helicopter support 
therefore is urgently needed and post requests immediate 
action. 
 
6.  POC Charge d'Affaires Jim Williard can be reached after 
hours on his cell phone at 011-504-990-1371 or at his 
residence at 011-504-236-9320 ext 4747 or 011-504-232-3124. 
Office telephone is 011-504-236-9210 or 011-504-236-9320, ext 
4768.  Please advise soonest. 
 
Williard