In the aftermath of the tragic earthquake in Haiti, some 200 US Marines are heading there

The Marine Corps is sending about 200 Marines from the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, located in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to Haiti to help with the military’s response to the country’s deadly earthquake. On Saturday, Haiti was devastated by a deadly 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which was immediately followed by a tropical storm on Monday.

In the aftermath of the tragic earthquake in Haiti, some 200 US Marines are heading there

According to Reuters, more than 2,000 people have died as a result of the disasters so far. According to UNICEF, more than 9,900 individuals have been injured, and around 500,000 Haitian children have limited or no access to shelter, safe drinking water, health care, or nourishment. The earthquake and typhoon are expected to have affected more than 1.2 million people, according to the group. As a result, the US Southern Command established Joint Task Force-Haiti to support a disaster relief operation coordinated by USAID. The task force consists primarily of ships and planes from the United States Navy and Coast Guard, which are assisting in the search for stranded disaster survivors, delivering medical supplies, and providing direct medical treatment.

According to Maj. Thomas Perna, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces South, the 200 Marines will be utilized to provide security to the task force. According to 2nd Marine Division spokesman 1st Lt. Sydney Murkins, military assistance is most successful in the early stages of disaster relief, when fewer resources and disaster-response expertise are available to support victims and damaged communities. “As disaster-relief operations progress and more uniquely experienced experts arrive to assist with longer-term recovery and reconstruction, the need for U.S. military capabilities diminishes, and other, more experienced relief personnel and organizations assume the roles previously performed by military troops and units,” Murkins wrote in an email on Thursday.