Cyclones, hurricanes and flash flooding cause devastation, destruction and loss of life. MAF's aerial surveys are vital in these situations, assessing where the needs are and what communities are worst affected. MAF continues to help long after the flood waters have receded, delivering aid, assisting in communications and rescuing those who need it.
MAF assisted the community of Kasese, Uganda, after flash-flooding displaced 25,000 people. Restrictions due to the Covid-19 lockdowns complicated gaining permission to fly, but Chief Pilot Greg Vine was ready within 20 minutes of answering the call confirming approval for the emergency flights.
MAF flew four planes fully loaded with relief supplies for the people in Kasese who had seen their homes washed away by the floods.
MAF’s Disaster Response team assisted Missionary Flights International with relief operations in 2019 following the devastation left by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. The team coordinated the delivery and distribution of relief supplies through a number of key partners on the ground, including the Salvation Army and Rev. Fredrick McAlpine - the Hon. Member of parliament for the Pineridge Constituency, who is also a pastor of a local Baptist church in Freeport.
Rev. McAlpine set up a distribution centre at a local primary school in Freeport and a counselling centre for people who had been traumatised or lost loved ones. Relief efforts were also assisted by members of the armed forces from Trinidad and Tobago.
One of the worst hit areas in Freeport was the Regency neighbourhood, with a population of over 12,000 people. Every house in the entire neighbourhood was severely damaged; residents literally lost everything they did not carry away with them when they were taken to a shelter just before the hurricane hit.
MAF similarly assisted with disaster relief efforts in 2020, partnering with Samaritan’s Purse, following the impact of Hurricane Iota. Our response included survey flights to assess the extent of the damage in Guatemala and Honduras.
MAF aircraft transported six tonnes of aid supplies to starving villagers following flooding in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The flood displaced 6,000 people, causing the government to declare the area a disaster zone.
The Purari River flooded due to ceaseless rains in June and July of 2014. The subsistence populations of Wabo, Wuraru, Purari, Poroi and Subu were left without food and shelter.
Due to persistent bad weather, the relief program continued for several weeks from our base in Goroka. Supplies flown in included rice and mosquito nets.
Sadly, two people from the neighbouring village of Herowana drowned. Our aircraft flew into Herowana with coffins for the burials, and food for grief stricken relatives.
In November 2007, a category 5 cyclone made landfall in Bangladesh causing large scale evacuations and devastation. Sidr formed in the Bay of Bengal with winds of 160mph, leaving millions in coastal areas homeless, destroying livestock, crops and fishing communities. 4,000 people lost their lives. In the days following the disaster, MAF flew into action, collaborating with other aid agencies, flying medical and disaster relief teams, doing medical evacuations, transporting food, water and medical supplies, and maintaining vital communications systems.
MAF has similarly responded following other cyclones that have hit Bangladesh, with its vulnerable geographical location, and high population density - first in disaster response and then in support of ongoing work to help communities recover and implement measures to prepare for future catastrophe.
