Thousands of sailors, marines and soldiers have descended upon Florida to help with search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
USS Abraham Lincoln reached the Florida Keys, where up to 10,000 people may need to be evacuated, on Monday and its helicopters are flying over the region to survey the damage.
The Navy has also dispatched two amphibious assault ships, the USS Iwo Jima and the USS New York, to help with recovery efforts. They ported in Mayport, Florida, as they gathered supplies before supporting relief operations.
Sailors aboard the Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) move pallets of water in preparation to support those affected by Hurricane Irma
Damage Controlman 3rd Class Brian Waters, from Oelwein, Iowa, fills containers of water aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln
The Department of Defense is supporting Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency, in helping those affected by Hurricane Irma to minimize suffering and is one component of the overall whole-of-government response effort
USS Abraham Lincoln (its interior pictured above) reached the Florida Keys, where up to 10,000 people may need to be evacuated, on Monday and its helicopters are flying over the region to survey the damage
Florida Gov Rick Scott said officials on the USS Abraham Lincoln will focus their efforts in the Florida Keys, where Irma rumbled through with Category 4 muscle. Pictured above, Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) fill containers of water on board Abraham Lincoln
Scott, who flew over the area in a helicopter on Monday, described the damage in the Keys as ‘devastating’. Pictured above, Sailors aboard the Nimitz-Class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) fill containers with water in preparation to support those affected by Hurricane Irma
Chief Naval Helicopter Aircrewman Matt Jirrels, assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HSM HADR) detachment, comprised of Sailors from HSM-40 and HSM-46, participates in static hoist training aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) in preparation for potential humanitarian relief efforts
Sailors assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 46 and 40, comprising the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HSM HADR) detachment, perform static hoist training aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) in preparation for potential humanitarian relief efforts in Florida following Hurricane Irma
The preparations ensure USS New York is ready to respond to any requests to bolster Northern Command’s support of Federal Emergency Management Agency’s assistance to federal, state and local authorities’ ongoing relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma
Florida Gov Rick Scott said officials on the USS Abraham Lincoln will focus their efforts in the Florida Keys, where Irma rumbled through with Category 4 muscle.
The aircraft carrier, which has a home port in Norfolk, Virginia, measures 1,100 feet, it can move at almost 35 miles per hour.
The USS Abraham is among some of the most complex ever built, weighing more than 99,000 tons, housing as many as 6,000 sailors, and supporting more than 70 aircraft.
The ships it’s joined by in Florida are just as impressive.
The USS Iwo Jima is 844ft long and can travel up to 25mph. The 40,0000 ton ship carries nearly 1,900 Marines and a mix of 30 helicopters.
The USS New York is 684ft long, weight 24,900 tons and can travel up to 25mph.
The ship has an Embarked Landing Force of 699 and a surge capacity of 800. It can carry a variety of ships and aircraft in numbers less than five.
Gov Scott, who flew over the Keys in a helicopter on Monday, described overturned mobile homes, washed-ashore boats and rampant flood damage and asked Floridians to be patient, warning that roads are impassable and that there are downed power lines.
The National Guard also has arrived in the island chain amid official fears that a humanitarian crisis may be developing in the stricken region.
The USS Abraham Lincoln (pictured above in a file photo) is just one of several Naval ships in Florida and the Caribbean to help with Hurricane Irma relief efforts
The Navy has also dispatched two amphibious assault ships, the USS Iwo Jima (pictured in a file photo) and the USS New York, to help with recovery efforts
The USS Iwo Jima and USS New York (pictured in a file photo) homeported in Mayport, Florida, as they gathered supplies before supporting relief operations
Scott, who flew over Florida in a helicopter on Monday, described overturned mobile homes, washed-ashore boats and rampant flood damage in the Keys and asked Floridians to be patient, warning that roads are impassable and that there are downed power lines
Jacksonville mayor Lenny Curry, left, and Gov. Rick Scott, fly over Jacksonville, Florida, in a military helicopter as they look at damage along the the St. John’s River
Gov Rick Scott looks out the window of a C-130 as he looks at damage to the Florida Keys during the aftermath of Hurricane Irma
Also in the region are Norfolk, Virginia, based USS San Jacinto and Arleigh Burke-destroyer USS Farragut, WTKR reported.
Up to 10,000 residents rode out the storm in the Keys, despite being told to evacuate ahead of the hurricane, and may need rescuing, the Defense Department said on Monday.
Key West city manager Jim Scholls told CNN that there were no plans to evacuate anyone in the chain of islands, which are home to about 79,000 people.
FEMA administrator Brock Long said that 25 per cent of the homes in the Keys were completely destroyed by the storm. He said another 65 per cent were damaged.
As of 7am on Tuesday, officials in the upper Florida Keys allowed residents and business owners to return.
In a Facebook posting, Monroe County officials said a yellow re-entry sticker or proof of residency or business ownership will be required.
The Lower Keys – including the chain’s most distant and most populous island, Key West, with 27,000 people – were still off-limits, with a roadblock in place where the single highway to the farther islands was washed out. Road repairs were promised in the coming days.
Overturned trailer homes are shown in a neighborhood in the Florida Keys left almost ocompletely wiped out by Hurricane Irma
In the Florida Keys, houses near the coast were left damaged by Hurricane Irma, including the one on the far left, which appears to have had its entire porch collapse
Rows of damaged houses are shown in the Florida Keys after Hurricane Irma ravaged the region over the weekend
Trees were ripped from the ground, and boats were knocked into one another near the damaged houses in the Florida Keys during Hurricane Irma
Officials warned returning residents that there are limited services available. Most areas are still without power and water and cellphone service is limited. Most gas stations in the Key Largo area are still closed.
County officials also said Mariners Hospital in Tavernier was expected to reopen Tuesday morning.
The Army’s 101st Airborne Division soldiers have also been sent to Florida to help with relief and search and rescue efforts.
The 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st ABN DIV (AASLT), will relocate more than 370 personnel, 35 aircraft and 40 vehicles to the region.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by Hurricane Irma,’ said Col. Craig J. Alia, 101st CAB commander. ‘101 CAB isn’t waiting. We are leaning forward now, proactively positioning our personnel and equipment to help the American people if called forward to support.
‘Should local officials and emergency services need additional assets, we will be staged and prepared to go at a moment’s notice.’
Houses on the show in the Florida Keys appeared to be knocked off their foundation and into the water in parts of the Florida Keys during Hurricane Irma. The homes are pictured above on Monday
Damaged sail boats are shown pushed up to shore and knocked sideways in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in the Florida Keys
Two men evaluate a boat that went ashore during the passing of Hurricane Irma in Key Biscayne, Florida, while another man watches on Monday
This image released by the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners shows debris along the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys
Debris from Hurricane Irma lays on the side of the Overseas Highway in Islamorda in the Florida Keys on Monday
The division has been preparing response forces since September 7.
Florida Gov Rick Scott says there’s damage across the state caused by the storm and in some areas it’s still too dangerous for residents to go outside or return from evacuation.
As many as 13 million Florida residents – two-thirds of the state’s population – were without electricity as sweltering heat returned across the peninsula in the storm’s wake, and officials warned it could take weeks for power to be fully restored. About 110,000 people remained in shelters statewide.
‘I know for our entire state, especially the Keys, it’s going to be a long road,’ Gov. Rick Scott said.
On Tuesday morning, the rainy remnants of Irma pushed through Alabama and Mississippi after drenching Georgia. Flash-flood watches and warnings were issued around the Southeast.
Seven deaths in Florida have been blamed on Irma, along with two in Georgia and two in South Carolina. At least 35 people were killed in the Caribbean.
In the Caribbean, USS Wasp, USS Kearsage and USS Oak Hill are in the US Virgin Islands, where officials from the ships are transferring non-critical patients and delivering food and water.