NMCB 7 Returns to Gulfport From Haiti

From Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 7 Public Affairs

May 25, 2010 - GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- More than 45 Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 returned to Gulfport, Miss., May 22 after completing humanitarian assistance missions in support of Operation Unified Response in Haiti.

The Seabees were part of a NMCB 7 detachment that deployed and arrived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 25. They worked throughout Joint Task Force-Haiti's area of responsibility while deployed.

NMCB 7 Seabees assisted with missions ranging from debris removal, internally displaced persons (IDP) camp improvements and construction of resettlement camps outside Port-au-Prince.

"This detachment dealt with a lot of unknowns of what we would be doing for Haiti before we arrived," said Chief Steelworker (SCW) Leslie Morgan, operations chief for NMCB 7. "Whether it was victim recovery, repairing a pier for shipping, flood mitigation in internally displaced persons camps, clearing debris, improving roads or building camps, these Seabees always followed through with the utmost respect for the people of Haiti who were suffering."

Working alongside members of Underwater Construction Team 1, NMCB 7 assisted with the reopening of the seaport in Port-au-Prince. Seabees worked to repair pier pilings on the port's south pier to allow ships to enter the port and offload much needed aid supplies.

NMCB 7 also assisted with rubble removal from Hotel Montana, making it possible for search and rescue crews to enter the site and search for survivors. Seabees assisted with the oversight in the moving of 14,000 cubic yards of debris from the site in 51 days, facilitating the recovery of the remains of 65 individuals at the site.

"The Hotel Montana opened my eyes to the unseen devastation of natural disasters," said Builder 2nd Class Thomas Camara. "Working day in and day out removing friends, family, and comrades from a pile of rubble that was once a beautiful hotel was like nothing I had ever done before."

NMCB 7 Seabees worked alongside nongovernmental organizations (NGO), Jenkins-Penn Haitian Relief Organization and Catholic Relief Services, at the Golf Delmas 48 internally displaced persons camp in Petionville.

There they helped build drainage canals, retaining walls and place sandbags to reduce the risk of mudslides and flash flooding during the rainy season. The Seabees also worked as supervisors for the "Cash-For–Work" crews at the Golf Delmas 48 camp, giving Haitians an opportunity to earn an income while assisting in the recovery.

In addition to adding safety measures inside the IDP camps, the Seabees helped construct two resettlement camps outside Port-au-Prince. NMCB 7 Seabees assisted U.N. forces in preparing land for IDP's to relocate to Corail Cesselesse and Tabare Issa.

Throughout NMCB 7's deployment to Haiti, the Seabees had the unique opportunity to work with different organizations to provide aid to the Haitian people.

"NMCB 7 was one of many units that participated in the joint efforts to assist the people of Haiti in their time of need," said Lt. Beau Brooks, officer in charge of NMCB 7. "Working together with the Government of Haiti, U.N., NGOs, and U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, we united to provide disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to the Haitians. Without a doubt, it was a moving and emotional experience for everyone involved in the operation."