Helicopters from aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln are now delivering aid to victims of Hurricane Irma in the Florida Keys, where approximately a quarter of all houses have been destroyed.
Photos from the aircraft carrier’s Facebook page show sailors preparing boxes, filling containers of water, and ferrying aid to Naval Air Station Key West to be delivered to civilians. The Abraham Lincoln will soon be accompanied by several other warships. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Brock Long also noted that 65 percent of the homes of the Florida Keys were damaged by the storm Saturday.
The Pentagon indicated Monday night that the USS Iwo Jima, New York, and San Jacinto’s will all participate in recovery operations. Additionally, the military is preparing the Army Corps of Engineers, saying that “power teams, debris removal teams, temporary roofing teams and port survey personnel are in place in Florida and Georgia,” and adding they are working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard “to reopen ports – focusing on Port Everglades and Tampa, which are critical to fuel distribution.”
“It’s horrible, what we saw,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott said after surveying the damage in the Keys. “I know for our entire state, especially the Keys, it’s going to be a long road.”
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