The Cayman Islands Government has given permission for eight helicopters carrying US military personnel to land in Grand Cayman tonight (Sunday, 15 August 2021) and tomorrow (Monday, 16 August 2021).
The visit is part of US efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Haiti, following yesterday’s magnitude 7.2 earthquake in that country.
The aircraft, which include three US Army CH-47 Chinook, three UH-60 and two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, will refuel and receive other services while on-Island. The first four helicopters, carrying 49 personnel, will touch down in Grand Cayman this evening and remain on-Island overnight. The remaining helicopters and personnel will arrive tomorrow.
The aircraft will provide heavy and medium air-lift to any planned US Agency for International Development-led mission to reduce human suffering and bolster Haitian disaster response capabilities.
The helicopters and personnel are assigned to Joint Task Force – Bravo, one of three task forces under United States Southern Command. Joint Task Force – Bravo operates a forward, all weather, day/night, Category-5 capable air base in Soto Cano, Honduras.
The request to land in Grand Cayman came from the US Southern Command, and was approved by the United Kingdom and Cayman Islands Governments.
The Public Health Department and Travel Cayman are in touch with US military authorities to ensure that COVID-19 protocols are strictly followed during the visit. All personnel returned a negative PCR test result before receiving permission to enter the Cayman Islands.
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