DORAL, FL U.S. Southern Command dispatched a 10-person emergency relief team today from its New Horizons-Panama base camp in Rambala, Panama to assist 5,000 Panamanian citizens affected by a six-month drought at Colon Island, located in the province of Bocas del Toro.

The team, consisting of desalination equipment operators and support personnel, will deliver a reverse-osmosis water purification unit capable of purifying 600 gallons of salt water per hour. The purification unit will pump purified water into a 200,000-gallon cistern to meet the emergency needs of the island's population.

The relief mission is the result of close collaboration between U.S. Southern Command, the U.S. Embassy, Panama's Civil Protection National System (SINAPROC) and the Panamanian government.

"We are pleased to join Panama's civil protection officials in assisting the citizens of Colon and mitigating the potentially devastating impact of this long-term drought," said Col. Bill Costello, Director of Public Affairs at U.S. Southern Command. Panama is a very close friend of the U.S., and we are always willing to help our friends in times of emergencies when the capability exists.

Members of the relief team are currently based in Rambala as part of an ongoing, USSOUTHCOMsponsored humanitarian assistance exercise called New Horizons. The exercise, scheduled to be completed May 15, will include the construction of three schools and two health clinics at an estimated cost of $500,000.

These exercises will also include the employment of three U.S. military medical teams who will provide immunological, pharmaceutical, optometry and dental services to approximately 19,000 patients and inoculate livestock at various communities across the province.

Created more than two decades ago as part of USSOUTHCOM's Humanitarian Assistance Program, New Horizons affords U.S. military engineering, medical and logistical teams an opportunity to hone their skills, improve their interoperability with partner nations and enhance existing U.S. ties with regional countries. Location

Thailand

Location

Thailand