Operation HESTIA

Operation HESTIA is the Canadian Forces participation in humanitarian operations conducted in response to the catastrophic earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on 12 January 2010.

Op HESTIA is the military component of a whole-of-government response that also involves Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) and the Canadian International Development Agency. For details of the non-military elements of the Canadian effort, visit the Earthquake in Haiti page on the DFAIT website.

The mission

At 16:53:09 hours local time (21:53:09 UTC) on 12 January 2010, Haiti was struck by an earthquake measured at 7.3 on the Richter scale. The epicentre of the earthquake was located about 15 km from the centre of Port-au-Prince at a depth of 10 km. Significant aftershocks followed, including at least 12 having magnitudes between 5.0 and 5.9.

Haiti is located at the west end of the seismically active Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Port-au-Prince, the capital, was levelled by tremors twice before, in 1751 and 1770. In 1946, an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale hit Samana in the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

The tremor damaged or destroyed most of the important buildings in Port-au-Prince, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly, the National Penitentiary, most of the city’s hospitals, and the headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Fortunately, the MINUSTAH logistics base was spared. Basic services such as water and electricity collapsed almost entirely, and all surviving health care facilities were flooded with the injured. According to Red Cross estimates, some 3 million people — one third of Haiti’s population — are affected by the quake.

Joint Task Force Haiti

Commander: Brigadier-General Guy Laroche

Joint Task Force Haiti (JTFH) is a humanitarian operations task force with a mandate to deliver a wide range of services in support of the Government of Haiti and the Canadian Embassy in Port-au-Prince. In particular, JTFH offers emergency medical services; engineering expertise; mobility by sea, land and air; and defence and security support.

The following Canadian Forces assets and units totalling some 2,000 personnel have been assigned to Joint Task Force Haiti:

• A Naval Task Group from CFB Halifax, Nova Scotia, comprising:
  • the destroyer HMCS Athabaskan, carrying a CH-124 Sea King helicopter detachment from 12 Wing Shearwater; and
  • the frigate HMCS Halifax;
• Six CH-146 Griffon helicopters from 1 Wing squadrons across Canada;
• The Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) with three Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPUs);
• An urban rescue and recovery team made up of search-and-rescue technicians and firefighters from across Canada;
• A detachment of Military Police;
• 1 Canadian Field Hospital from the Petawawa garrison in Land Force Central Area; and
• A Land Force contingent drawn mostly from the Valcartier garrison in Land Force Quebec Area, comprising:
  • Task Force Headquarters, including:
• the Task Force Commander’s staff, and
• a signals squadron,
• A light infantry battalion drawn from the 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, with
• two rifle companies,
• one service support company,
• one headquarters company, and
• a field engineer element; and
• A National Support Element, offering transport, maintenance, Military Police,  and medical services, as well as combat service support.

JTFH receives extensive support from 8 Wing Trenton, the home of transport squadrons flying the CC-130 Hercules tactical airlifter, the CC-144 Challenger long-range executive jet, and the CC-150 Polaris and CC-177 Globemaster III strategic airlifters. Flights to Haiti carry food, water, equipment, vehicles, and medical supplies as well as CF personnel. Return flights bring civilians evacuated from Haiti home to Canada.

Canadian operations in Haiti

• Operation HORATIO World Food Programme, September 2008
• Haiti 2004-4 December 2004
• Haiti 2004-3 October 2004
• Haiti 2004-2 October 2004
• Haiti 2004-1 September 2004
• Operation HAMLET United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), August 2004–present
• Operation HALO MINUSTAH, March–August 2004
• Operation HALO Multinational Interim Force, February–July 2004
• Haiti 1999 December 1999
• Operation STANDARD June 1996–July 1997
• Operation DIALOGUE January–December 1994
• Operation CAULDRON September 1993–June 1996
• Operation FORWARD ACTION October 1993–September 1994
• Haiti 1989 January–October 1989
• Operation BANDIT January–February 1988
• Haiti 1963 May 1963