Approximately 50 United States Marines, together with members of the Peruvian Armed Forces, National Police, and firefighters on Saturday carried out a large joint disaster response, as well as humanitarian assistance exercise and simulation, that included the deployment of the USS Somerset (LPD 25) and BAP Pisco vessels along Agua Dulce Beach on the Costa Verde in Lima.
The public was able to observe the exercise and joint simulation.
Operations took place with efficiency and coordination to deploy equipment and personnel to respond to a natural disaster, provide medical care in the field, improve interoperability between Peru and the United States, and develop capacity for rapid response in case of crisis, humanitarian or natural disasters.
"These joint rapid response exercises to natural disasters are a part of the close and continuous cooperation between Peru and the United States. They seek to improve interoperability, preparedness, and response capacity in case of humanitarian crises or natural disasters,"
U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires Mark Wells expressed.
These projects include the construction of Regional Emergency Operations Centers (COER) in 15 regions of Peru.
Four more large-scale complexes are currently under construction for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
The United States allocated more than US$8.3 million in Peru to support the humanitarian response to the heavy rains and floods of the
2017 Coastal El Niño phenomenon, as well as provided ten helicopters and two C-130 "Hercules" transport aircraft to support search and rescue missions, plus humanitarian airlift for supplies.
