MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit will conduct a Relief in Place (RIP) with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit for Hurricane Maria relief efforts during the week of Oct. 9, 2017. The RIP will take place over several days to ensure that there is no gap in capability for ongoing relief operations, which are in direct coordination with the lead federal agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

More than 300 Marines from the 24th MEU will embark aboard USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) with comparable capabilities of the 26th MEU. For the past six weeks, Marines and Sailors with the 26th MEU have conducted hurricane relief operations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, conducting aid distribution, route clearance, hospital assessments, distribution site assessments, helicopter support team operations, and an abundance of other missions throughout the Joint Operations Area (JOA).

Throughout their efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the 26th MEU delivered more than 890,000 pounds of aid, cleared more than 65 miles of road, flew approximately 350 flight hours, assessed 44 hospitals, and delivered 390 pallets of food and water.

The Department of Defense’s primary focus areas in support to FEMA and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are the deployment of logistical support forces, commodity distribution & increasing the medical capabilities. The 24th MEU’s capabilities will align with the more than 7,000 service members working in Puerto Rico.

For questions, please contact the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Communication Strategy and Operations Office.

Marines.mil: http://www.26thmeu.marines.mil

DVIDS: http://www.dvidshub.net/unit/26MEU

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