Operation Felix
Date: 6 September 2007 – 12 September 2007
Number of military personnel: 120
Awards: none
Fatalities: none
Background
In early September 2007, Hurricane Felix, a tropical storm of the highest and most serious category,
wreaked havoc in the Caribbean and Central America. The devastation in the area was enormous.
Many buildings on the Caribbean coastlines of Nicaragua and Honduras were badly damaged and
some villages were completely swept away. A total of 98 people were killed. The local authorities had
failed to take precautionary measures and the relief aid operation was therefore extremely slow in
starting up, particularly in remote areas. During the first few days after the hurricane, the victims
lacked food and shelter. The Nicaraguan Government was unable to deal with the consequences of the
disaster. Various government authorities in the region, such as those of Honduras, Cuba, Venezuela
and the United States sent help.
The Dutch Contribution
On 6 September 2007, the International Red Cross made a general appeal for emergency aid. In response, the Dutch Government contacted the Nicaraguan authorities, resulting in a formal request to
the Netherlands, made on 7 September, to provide emergency aid. The Royal Netherlands Navy had a
number of units in the area that were able to immediately respond to this request. In view of the fact
that it was the hurricane season (June to November), precautionary measures had already been taken
for the overseas territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Navy was therefore ready to deliver emergency aid to the Netherlands Antilles, but also to Central America if required. Among the
emergency aid goods were shelter boxes and survival packages.
HNLMS Van Nes of the Royal Netherlands Navy, a multipurpose frigate, was in the area acting as the
Netherlands guard ship in the Caribbean. At the time the hurricane struck, the ship was in close proximity of Nicaraguan waters, as it was taking part in Panamax 2007, a multinational exercise. On 4
September – two days before the Red Cross’s appeal – the Van Nes left the exercise and proactively
steamed towards the east coast of Nicaragua. In the afternoon of 5 September, the ship was positioned
just off the coast of the Nicaraguan province of Atlántico Norte, ready for duty. The Royal Netherlands Navy’s permanent support ship in the Caribbean, HNLMS Pelikaan, was later also sent to Nicaragua from Curaçao, on 8 September 2007. It arrived at its destination on 10 September.
As the Netherlands had only a limited supply of emergency goods available, the Navy chose to restrict
its emergency aid operation to a demarcated area, namely the northern part of the Mosquito Coast
around the regional capital city of Puerto Cabezas. As early as 6 September, the Lynx on-board helicopter of the Van Nes had, in cooperation with the USS Wasp, a United States Navy vessel, been deployed for a Search-and-Rescue (SAR) operation. No survivors were found during this SAR operation.
During the main operation, the commander of the Van Nes had a small detachment from the United
States Coast Guard at his disposal, with the restriction that the Americans were not permitted on land.
The Coast Guard detachment had been assigned to HNLMS Van Nes in the context of a counterdrugs
programme. On 8 September, the Commander of HNLMS Van Nes contacted the Governor of Atlántico Norte and the local military commander in Puerto Cabezas in order to coordinate the possibilities,
requirements and the overall planning of the emergency aid operation. The Nicaraguan officials were
invited onto the ship and an emergency aid plan was drawn up. In the plan, the Van Nes was tasked
with delivering relief supplies directly to the affected area. The Van Nes had 30 shelter boxes, 1,000
‘Meals, Ready-to-Eat’ (MREs), 2,000 litres of bottled drinking water and water from its own water
purification unit on board.
The operation began on 9 September, when emergency aid was delivered to the village of Krukira,
located at the centre of the most heavily affected area. The Lynx carried 40 of the ship’s crew and 20
shelter boxes to the village; it also delivered 1,000 MREs and 2,000 litres of drinking water. The village chief took control of distribution of the relief goods. In addition to handing out foodstuffs, the
crew actively took part in various clearing and rebuilding activities. The commander of the ship decided to bring his men back on board at night in view of the increased risk of malaria.
The remaining emergency aid supplies were distributed among three other villages on 10 September.
The helicopter set down three four-man teams in these villages. They sought contact with the village
chiefs and delivered food packages. In Dakura, the last village, the decision was made to provide more
intensive assistance. In addition to foodstuffs, 10 shelter boxes were delivered and 21 men were flown
in to carry out rebuilding. They found, among other things, that the village well was contaminated.
Technicians from the Van Nes were able to decontaminate the well by using a water pump. In addition
to transporting goods and personnel in and out of the area, the on-board helicopter also carried out a
medical evacuation flight to Puerto Cazebas on that day.
In the evening of 10 September, HNLMS Pelikaan arrived from Curaçao and positioned itself just off
the coast of Nicaragua with new supplies of foodstuffs and shelter boxes. The majority of these went
to Dakura during the following day. The supplies on the Pelikaan were made suitable for transport by
helicopter with cargo nets, the work being carried out by the crew of the Van Nes and members of the
US Coast Guard. In Dakura, two physicians set up a first-aid post, where they treated sixty patients.
Dutch personnel carried out improvised repairs to a number of houses and distributed fifty shelter
boxes among the villagers. In the afternoon of 11 September, the helicopter developed a technical
malfunction, abruptly ending the distribution of emergency aid goods. The crew had to return to
HNLMS Van Nes in rubber boats under difficult conditions. At the end of the afternoon, the ship set
course for Curaçao. The Pelikaan ended the emergency aid operation a day later, on 12 September,
after the last emergency aid goods had been loaded onto the quay in the harbour of Puerto Cabezas.
Recommended literature
Zijlstra, L. M. : Operatie Felix. Human Disaster Relief Operation Nicaragua Hr. Ms. Van Nes [Operation Felix. Humanitarian Disaster Relief Operation Nicaragua HNLMS Van Nes] (2007).