Operation Cook Islands assist
By FGOFF Sean McKeogh
Total destruction
In mid-February 2010 the Cook Islands were hit by Cyclone Pat, causing significant damage to infrastructure. This led to the New Zealand Defence Force activating Operation Cook Island Assist (OP CI ASSIST) to assist with relief aid and provide help to the local population. FGOFF Sean McKeogh was there.
Operation Cook Islands Assist (OP CI ASSIST) was my first experience with a relief operation. I was part of the RNZAF Air Movement’s six-man team, assisting with ground operations in both Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Like my teammates, I’d participated in exercises and other activities, but this was my first ‘real’ operation—a great chance to ‘get out amongst it’ and put into practise everything that I’d learned.
Lending a hand
Getting accurate information was crucial so we worked with external agencies, and together with our colleagues at Joint Forces and those working on the ground, most bases were covered.
The logistics of transporting aid was often a case of ‘wait until the truck shows up and we’ll see what fits’. All through the night, trucks carrying aid, ranging from water canisters to shelters, arrived at Air Movements, making for a very busy time indeed. All told, around 30,000 lbs of aid was loaded out of New Zealand for the people of Aitutaki. This made for some very long days and nights, but nothing the team couldn’t handle.
Assisting in Rarotonga was also a very busy time for all. Numerous items, ranging from large vehicles such as bobcats to water purifiers and aid packages were dropped off, and everyone wanted priority on their items. Managing ‘what went where’ and ‘on what flight’ was like completing a giant jigsaw puzzle where you didn’t have all of the pieces!
Lending a hand
With such an array of possible scenarios at any one time, having a team that was able to bounce ideas and solutions off one another—including between those on the ground and those in the air—was crucial to the success of the operation. It also made tasks very enjoyable and rewarding.
Building relationships was also a key component to the success of OP CI ASSIST. It didn’t take long to find people who were more than happy to pitch in — people like our friends at Rarotonga Airport and those at Air New Zealand, who kindly let us commandeer a number of their personnel and equipment to make our job on the ground easier.
Team effort
There was also no shortage of locals willing to help out. The sight of a number of them ripping into, and dismantling an aircraft pallet in record-time, was certainly something to behold. All-in-all, four taps were flown into Aitutaki, moving a total of 88,742 lbs of freight.
From a first-timer’s perspective, it was great to see the teamwork displayed by everyone involved, and to receive the many thanks given by local members of parliament and the people of Rarotonga. It certainly made me feel that even the small part I played in OP CI ASSIST made a difference.