Operation Avid Response

Operation Avid Response (OAR) is the US European Command contribution to relief efforts following the earthquake that hit Western Turkey during the early morning hours of 17 August 1999. U.S. European Command's Operation Avid Response kicked in shortly after the Aug. 17 quake struck about 65 miles east of Istanbul near the town of Izmit. Turkish officials estimate about 600,000 people are homeless. The quake, which registered 7.4 on the Richter scale, damaged more than 54,000 buildings, of which up to 35,000 may have to be demolished.

US government agencies, including US European Command, worked with the Turkish government to coordinate US relief assistance. The US Agency for International Development is the government's lead agency for providing disaster assistance. US planning priorities are, first, to search for and care for survivors, then to provide shelter, food, medical support and other basic services for the thousands of victims of this tragedy. Two shipments of relief supplies and tents from the US European Command (EUCOM) arrived August 29 via ferry. A third shipment arrived September 3. The tents have a total capacity of sheltering over 100,000 people.

Three US Navy ships assigned to the Sixth Fleet and 2,100 embarked Marines of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) deployed to the vicinity of Izmitl, Turkey, to provide humanitarian and medial relief assitance in the wake of the massive earthquake which hit the region Tuesday. The USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), consisting of Kearsarge, USS Ponce (LPD 15) and USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44), sortied on short notice from port visits in Spain to Turkey.

Turkish officials requested firefighting planes from the US Air Force to help contain oil refinery blazes. Air National Guard C-130s were notified for deployment, but the move was canceled after Turkish firefighters brought the blazes under control.