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Four Ships Taking Part in Canadian Relief Convoy Leave Halifax Harbour

Posted on: Tuesday, 6 September 2005, 18:00 CDT

HALIFAX (CP) - A humanitarian convoy steamed out of Halifax harbour Tuesday on a mission that could see crews recovering bodies from contaminated waters and rebuilding homes devastated by hurricane Katrina.

Prime Minister Paul Martin stood dockside, waving to some of the 1,000 sailors and soldiers aboard three warships and a coast guard vessel as they headed to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The personnel will assist in the massive relief effort after the Category 4 hurricane tore through the region more than a week ago.

"We, as a country, are grateful . . . for what you are about to take on," the prime minister told hundreds of sailors on the sun-drenched bow of HMCS Athabaskan moments before it set sail.

"Canada was built by neighbours helping neighbours in times of crisis, but that doesn't apply just within out borders. . .

"That is your mission. Good luck and thank you very much."

David Wilkins, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, thanked the country for coming to the aid of Americans so swiftly, much like he said it did in the days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"My country's hurting, hurting deeply and once again Canada is coming to our rescue early and eagerly," he said, as a handful of the crew members' relatives listened from shore, holding small Canadian flags and preparing for a deployment that could last up to three months.

"You are saving lives and to those survivors in the United States, you are helping them build back their lives . . . Thank you Canada for giving us your very best."

It's expected the vessels and three Sea King helicopters will anchor off the Louisiana coast when they arrive in about four days, and ferry supplies into the areas hardest hit by the ferocious storm that has left possibly hundreds dead and many missing.

The destroyer and frigates are loaded to capacity with a massive list of supplies for some of the thousands who have been displaced: 1,500 cots and sleeping bags, 2,000 blankets, 3,000 coveralls, 300 tents that can house 1,800 people, 6,000 diapers, palettes of lumber for reconstruction, 36 generators, water pumps, medical supplies, 300 donated hand-knit teddy bears and about 1,000 body bags.

It's likely the teams will be called on to recover some of the thousands of bodies submerged in the polluted waters, buried in toxic muck and trapped in flooded homes.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has predicted as many as 10,000 people may have died in the massive storm, which left 80 per cent of the city underwater. He warned, as authorities began pumping water out of the area, that what awaits them below the debris would be gruesome.

Canadian crew, who have been watching a steady deluge of TV images, say they're apprehensive about what they might face, but are eager to help out.

"I don't think you can ever be fully prepared for what you're going to see," said Lieut. Brian Owens of HMCS Toronto, adding that a ship padre is on board to counsel the crew.

"If we can effect some sort of hope for these people, that's the end goal."

Capt. John Timmermans, a field engineer from New Brunswick's CFB Gagetown, said he expects to be shuttling material and people to shore aboard one of the 12 assault boats being deployed to the area.

However, he says it's likely they'll have to deal with the grisly realty of the situation.

"It's not a pleasant business, but it's got to be done," he said as crews loaded everything from boxes of Tylenol and Nyquil to water pumps and chainsaws on board.

The Sir William Alexander coast guard vessel will also be central in restoring the waterways' navigational system, which was wiped out when the storm barrelled through the area. It also has heavy lift capabilities and can raise large pieces of debris.

Navy divers have also been dispatched to New Orleans from Halifax and Esquimalt, B.C., to inspect damaged levees and help their U.S. counterparts clear navigational hazards such as loose barges.

It's not the first time Canada has come forward to help the States following a natural disaster. Canada deployed HMCS Protecteur in 1992 after hurricane Andrew tore through parts of Florida.

This latest mission, dubbed Operation Unison, kicked into gear last week after Defence officials contacted their American counterparts in the State Department, who eventually accepted the offer.

That set off a scramble over the long weekend, when many stores were closed, to find all of the needed supplies. Much of the material is coming from stockpiles maintained by Canadian authorities for disaster preparedness plans.

Officials were also watching a developing storm off the Florida coast, which could affect the vessels' trip to the gulf.

Meanwhile, Canadian officials said Tuesday that 178 Canadians were safe in the wake of the storm. Officials are still trying to contact 62 others, 36 of them in Louisiana and 26 in Mississippi. Sixteen of them are tourists.

Nine other Canadians were listed as unaccounted for, but there are no known Canadian fatalities.

Source: Canadian Press

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