Emergency aid after Hurricane Katrina, United States
Duration: 7 September – 13 September 2005
Number of military personnel: 187
Bravery awards: none
Fatalities: none
Background
On 29 August 2005, hurricane Katrina hit the south coast of the United States (US) on the Gulf of
Mexico, after already having ripped through the south-eastern state of Florida. The states of
Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana on the Gulf of Mexico suffered particularly. Large areas were
flooded and many houses were destroyed. Tens of thousands of people fled the force of nature. The
largest city in Louisiana, New Orleans, was hit hard when the levees gave way under the pressure of
the storm surge. A large part of the city (around 80%) flooded. More than 1,800 people lost their lives.
The direct damage in New Orleans alone was estimated at some 200 billion dollars. The disaster also
had a negative effect on the economy in the longer term. The relief effort by the US authorities was
slow in getting under way.
The Dutch role
On Thursday 1 September 2005, the Royal Netherlands Navy began preparation in the Caribbean for
the deployment of Dutch military personnel in the aftermath of the disaster. The M-frigate HNLMS
Van Amstel sailed from Aruba to Curaçao, where ten marines of a boat squad embarked. The frigate
thus increased its deployment capacity for the flooded areas. The marines’ equipment included eight
small boats, eleven outboard motors and 5,000 litres of petrol and lubricants. The ship also took a team
of four divers on board, as floating debris in the area affected by the hurricane could cause problems
with the engines and exhausts. The medical team on board was expanded to two doctors and four
nurses. In addition to the extra personnel, relief supplies in the form of food (including 2,000
emergency rations), 10,000 litres of mineral water, spades and sandbags were taken on board.
On Friday evening 2 September, the ship set sail for the port of San Juan (Puerto Rico), in order to
take over an extra onboard helicopter and crew and part of the maintenance team from HNLMS Tjerk
Hiddes. The next evening, the Van Amstel set sail for the US. During the voyage, the crew trained so
that they would be able to get the helicopter ready quickly. There was only one helicopter deck, which
meant that the take-off preparations for the second Lynx could not be carried out until the first one had
taken off. This had to be done as quickly as possible to free up the deck in the event of problems with
the first helicopter. The marines of the boat squad also practised the use of cargo nets. On Monday
evening 5 September, the Dutch government gave the definite go-ahead for participation in the aid
operation on the south coast of the US. The US authorities had accepted the aid offered by the Van
Amstel, which was exceptional. Many other offers of international aid were turned down by the
Americans. They accepted the Dutch offer, because the deployment of the Van Amstel was not
dependent on the local infrastructure and the ship was entirely self-sufficient, did not need to make use
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of scarce resources such as accommodation and brought relief supplies and expert skills which were
badly needed.
The Dutch frigate was initially told by the US Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander to sail
up the Mississippi river and dock at New Orleans. Due to the unreliability of the approach route to the
river (the hurricane had caused underwater landslides), the ship was later directed to a meeting point
off the coast at Biloxi. The city, situated east of New Orleans, had also been hit badly. The Van
Amstel was the first foreign ship to arrive and was assigned to a US maritime task group led by the
amphibious assault ship USS Bataan. The Van Amstel anchored close to the Bataan, facilitating the
transfer of personnel to and from the US ship. A Dutch liaison officer was stationed on the Bataan, so
that important information could be fed back to the Van Amstel immediately.
On Wednesday afternoon 7 September, the two helicopters from the Van Amstel flew a first
reconnaissance mission over the area affected by the hurricane and the frigate sent the first patrols
ashore. Armoured personnel of the US Coast Guard provided force protection against looters on land.
In the days that followed, 62 to 78 Dutch military personnel went ashore each day between 07.00 hrs
and 19.00 hrs to provide assistance. The main tasks were to set up and man distribution centres and
make public buildings accessible so that they were suitable for emergency accommodation for victims.
The Dutch navy personnel also saw to the basic necessities of the population by handing out food and
drinking water, and helped to clear away rubble. They also helped unload an Antonov aircraft,
chartered by the Netherlands Ministry of Defence to take water pumps and medical supplies from the
Netherlands to Biloxi.
For transport to and from the shore, the personnel of the Van Amstel made use of the transport
capabilities of the Bataan (helicopters, landing craft and hovercrafts). The Dutch shore parties also
spent several nights on board the US ship in order to increase the effective working time. Both Dutch
Lynx helicopters were deployed on a daily basis. Besides transport tasks for their own ship, they
mainly flew water, food and medicine from the local airport to inaccessible locations. After six days,
there was a shift in the nature of the assistance, from emergency assistance to regular assistance. The
roads were gradually becoming accessible again and the US Navy was beginning to pull out of the
area. After consultations between the Defence Staff in The Hague and the US authorities, the decision
was made on 12 September to end the Dutch deployment. The Van Amstel left for Curaçao the next
day.
Recommended literature
Schot, S.L., ‘Surviving Katrina’, Marineblad 10 (2005) 308-315.
Zwieten, P.H.T. van, Inzet Hr. Ms. Van Amstel (Katrina) (The Hague 2005).
Updated: 7 April 2011
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