Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/537979
Connections Summer 2015 During the peak of the Ebola crisis in West Africa, Crowley was called into action, supplying on-site logistics support and shipping services in support of the U.S. military's Operation United Assistance in Liberia. On-the-Ground Logistics Support "When I first arrived in Liberia, there were over 1,000 cases of Ebola and the numbers were rising. There were bodies on the side of the road and people were scared. There was unrest outside of treatment centers because there weren't enough beds," remembered Crowley's Bleu Hilburn, director, logistics. "The country needed help and needed it fast." The Ebola virus outbreak that started in West Africa last summer caused an international panic. President Barack Obama's ambassador to Nigeria, Jeffrey Hawkins, warned of an "apocalyptic urban outbreak" and the World Health Organization declared an emergency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projected upwards of 550,000 Ebola cases in countries such as Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, predicting the number would rise considerably higher, to pandemic levels, if the disease spread further. Europe, Asia and the United States were at risk. Acting swiftly, Obama announced in early September the plan to send 3,000 troops to Liberia as part of Operation United Assistance (OUA), a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) mission designed to combat the disease in the region. The fact that Liberia claimed nearly 40 percent of the lives lost across West Africa made the country a priority. The initial plan included the construction of 27 Ebola treatment units (ETUs), each with 100 beds; medical personnel; personal protective equipment (PPE); and other critical supplies. Coordinating the logistics behind the effort was the U.S. Government's Defense Logistics Agency Story continued on page 4 3 Story by Amelia P. Smith The Logistics of Humanitarian Aid in the Midst of the Ebola Crisis Left: Aerial porters load humanitarian aid and supplies onto a C-130 at the airport in Dakar, Senegal. Crowley managed several warehouses in Senegal to aid in the distribution of these supplies to Liberia. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer) Core Value: HIGH PERFORMANCE