Hurlburt Airmen enter second week of disaster relief assistance Published Jan. 20, 2010 By Amy Oliver 1st SOW Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- As Hurlburt Field Airmen begin week two of running airfield operations in Haiti, thus enabling the larger humanitarian effort to reach the earthquake-decimated island, 1st Special Operations Wing aircraft have made 37 flights to Haiti so far and have transported more than 287,000 pounds of food, water, equipment and people to the Port-au-Prince airport. "The people and supplies the 1st SOW are sending to Haiti are to support our own force who is there so that the larger governmental agencies can get in and deliver food, water and medical assistance to the earthquake victims," said Col. Greg Lengyel, 1st SOW commander. The list of supplies delivered includes more than 6,000 meals ready-to-eat, 5,000 gallons of bottled water and 300 cots. Locating a potable water source near the airport has proven difficult. Therefore, the 1st SOW has also delivered gallons of hand sanitizer for hand washing and bleach to sanitize the water that is available. The wing has also delivered 37,000 pounds of medical supplies, with saline units being high on the request list because dehydration is a common occurrence given the heat and lack of water. "We're about 24 hours away from an operational shower tent," said Col. Buck Elton, the 1st Special Operations Group commander who is currently commanding airfield operations for Southern Command at the Port-au-Prince airport. "That will be a big hit." 1st SOW aircraft returning to Hurlburt Field after delivering their loads have transported more than 470 American citizens from Haiti to various locations in the U.S. "In addition to taking care of all the Department of Defense C-130's, our team is heavily engaged in the no-fail American citizen movement missions ensuring that as many get evacuated as possible," Colonel Elton said. Meanwhile, Hurlburt Field airfield operators have controlled more than 600 take-offs and landings on the 10,000-foot runway that previously saw only three aircraft daily. "The team continues to make the impossible happen and morale remains very high," Colonel Elton said.