Following that devastation of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Gulf Coast by
Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States...
, the
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of government of the Republic of Singapore...
of
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
,
Lee Hsien LoongLee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. Lee Hsien Loong is married to Ho Ching, who is the former Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the government-owned Temasek Holdings...
, sent a letter to US President
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
promising support for the American people in their relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
In his letter, Lee wrote:
"The thoughts of Singaporeans and me are with you and the American people whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Following that devastation of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Gulf Coast by
Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States...
, the
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of government of the Republic of Singapore...
of
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
,
Lee Hsien LoongLee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. Lee Hsien Loong is married to Ho Ching, who is the former Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the government-owned Temasek Holdings...
, sent a letter to US President
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
promising support for the American people in their relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
In his letter, Lee wrote:
"The thoughts of Singaporeans and me are with you and the American people whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina. America has always been generous in helping others in their time of need. We in Southeast Asia have experienced that, most recently during the tsunami relief operations. Singapore is happy to reciprocate in a small way by participating in your efforts to save lives and restore normality to your people."
Relief operations
On 1 September, the
Republic of Singapore Air ForceThe Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command .-Mission Statement:The following excerpts was taken from the : --History:...
(RSAF) sent three
CH-47 ChinookThe Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a versatile, twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots was faster than utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s and even many of today. Its primary roles include troop movement, artillery emplacement and battlefield resupply...
helicopters to
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
to assist in relief operations. These three aircraft, which were based in the Peace Prairie attachment in
Grand Prairie, TexasGrand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Ellis, and Tarrant Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and is a part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The population was 153,812 in 2006.- History :...
, arrived in
Fort PolkFort Polk is a United States Army base located near Leesville, Louisiana.It was named in honor of the Right Reverend Leonidas Polk, the first Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana, and a Confederate general. Fort Polk serves primarily as a training post for units preparing to deploy to fight...
,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
on the afternoon of 1 September to aid rescue operations mainly in resupply and airlifting missions.
Thirty eight RSAF personnel, comprising pilots, aircrew and technicians were also been deployed. The Singapore team worked with the
Texas Army National GuardThe Texas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
in the relief efforts.
On 5 September, a fourth Chinook helicopter was sent to help in the relief operations, and the number of personnel sent there increased to 45.
Throughout the Singaporean relief effort, the four Chinooks flew 61 sorties. They transported hundreds of evacuees from flooded areas to safety, especially from the
Louisiana SuperdomeThe Louisiana Superdome, often informally referred to simply as the Superdome, The Dome or the New Orleans Superdome is a large, multi-purpose sports and exhibition facility located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana...
and
Ernest N. Morial Convention CenterThe New Orleans Morial Convention Center is convention center in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The lower end of building one is located upriver from Canal Street on the banks of the Mississippi River. It is named after former Mayor of New Orleans Ernest N. Morial...
. They also picked up stragglers around New Orleans area. The Chinooks also carried a total of 540 tonnes of equipment, humanitarian aid, cargo and supplies and rescued over 800 evacuees. They were involved in moving sand bags to block up the broken
leveeA levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall to regulate water levels...
s. The number of aircraft sent exceed that of all other foreign countries.
RSAF Detachment Commander of Peace Prairie, Lieutenant-Colonel Kevin Rodrigues, said his men were in high spirits and remained focused in their mission.
American Ambassador to Singapore
Frank LavinFrank Lavin is a native of Canton, Ohio. As Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Lavin headed the International Trade Administration for the United States Department of Commerce from 2005 until 2007....
said the American people were deeply grateful for Singapore's help. He added that RSAF personnel were saving lives in Louisiana and the other Gulf Coast States and Americans would long remember this.
The RSAF’s Peace Prairie detachment has worked together with the Texas Army National Guard on other relief missions in the past, including relief operations in the aftermath of
Hurricane FloydHurricane Floyd was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season.Floyd triggered the third largest evacuation in US history when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states including Florida were ordered from their homes as...
in
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
in 1999 and fire-fighting and flood relief operations in
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
in 2000.
During Hurricane Katrina, the
Singapore Red CrossThe Singapore Red Cross started out in 30 September 1949 as part of the British Red Cross Society. In 6 April 1973, the Singapore Red Cross was officially incorporated by the Parliament of Singapore...
launched a public appeal to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. It requested donation from Singaporeans to the emergency so that the fund could be used to assist displaced and homeless victims through the
American Red CrossThe American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States, and is the designated U.S...
.
"Singapore and Katrina"
American
Op-EdAn op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board. These are different from editorials, which are usually unsigned and written by editorial board members...
columnist for the
New York Times Thomas FriedmanThomas Lauren Friedman is an American journalist, columnist and multi Pulitzer Prize winning author. He is an op-ed contributor to The New York Times, whose column appears twice weekly. He has written extensively on foreign affairs including global trade, the Middle East and environmental issues...
wrote an article
Singapore and Katrina reflecting on the American government's management performance after the hurricane, which he felt was slovenly and compared poorly to Singapore's governance. He cited among others
Kishore MahbubaniKishore Mahbubani is dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. From 1971 to 2004 he served in the Singaporean Foreign Service, ending up as Singapore's Ambassador to the United Nations...
, dean of the
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public PolicyThe Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy is a school of the National University of Singapore . It was established in 1992 as the Master of Public Policy Programme under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of National University of Singapore in collaboration with the Kennedy School of Government...
who said
"... You lose New Orleans, and you have 100 other cities just like it. But we're a city-state. We lose Singapore and there is nothing else. ... ".
See also
- Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States...
- Hurricane Katrina disaster relief
The disaster recovery response to Hurricane Katrina included federal government agencies like Federal Emergency Management Agency , state and local-level agencies, federal and National Guard soldiers, non-governmental charities, and private individuals...
- International response to Hurricane Katrina
Many countries and international organizations offered the United States relief aid in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.According to the European Commission, one week after the disaster, on September 4, 2005, the United States officially asked the European Union for emergency help, asking for...
External links
- Public Appeal - Singapore Red Cross
The Singapore Red Cross started out in 30 September 1949 as part of the British Red Cross Society. In 6 April 1973, the Singapore Red Cross was officially incorporated by the Parliament of Singapore...
News articles
- RSAF Chinooks complete hurricane relief operations in Louisiana - Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia is an English-language pan-Asian news network based in Singapore and owned by MediaCorp. Started in 1 March 1999, it is a major Asian news broadcaster with programmes telecast to more than 20 Asian countries and territories....
(10 September, 2005)
- RSAF helicopters continue to help US hurricane victims - Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia is an English-language pan-Asian news network based in Singapore and owned by MediaCorp. Started in 1 March 1999, it is a major Asian news broadcaster with programmes telecast to more than 20 Asian countries and territories....
(8 September, 2005)
- RSAF Chinooks fly 61 sorties in US hurricane relief effort - Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia is an English-language pan-Asian news network based in Singapore and owned by MediaCorp. Started in 1 March 1999, it is a major Asian news broadcaster with programmes telecast to more than 20 Asian countries and territories....
(7 September, 2005)
- Singapore Red Cross launches appeal to help Hurricane Katrina victims - Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia is an English-language pan-Asian news network based in Singapore and owned by MediaCorp. Started in 1 March 1999, it is a major Asian news broadcaster with programmes telecast to more than 20 Asian countries and territories....
(5 September, 2005)
- S'pore sends 4th Chinook helicopter to aid US hurricane relief efforts - Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia is an English-language pan-Asian news network based in Singapore and owned by MediaCorp. Started in 1 March 1999, it is a major Asian news broadcaster with programmes telecast to more than 20 Asian countries and territories....
(5 September, 2005)
- RSAF Chinook helicopters help in US hurricane relief operations - Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia is an English-language pan-Asian news network based in Singapore and owned by MediaCorp. Started in 1 March 1999, it is a major Asian news broadcaster with programmes telecast to more than 20 Asian countries and territories....
(2 September, 2005)
- RSAF Deployment to Assist in Hurricane Katrina Relief Operations - Ministry of Defence (Singapore)
The Ministry of Defence is a ministry of the Government of Singapore entrusted with overseeing the national defence needs of the Republic of Singapore. It is the headquarters of the Singapore Armed Forces...
(2 September, 2005)