Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5, turned over approximately $127,000 FJD worth of tools and equipment to the Republic of Fiji for use in humanitarian assistance, Jan. 11.
Coordinated through the 30th Naval Construction Regiment (30th NCR), the tools were distributed across four regions of the country to help the island nation better respond to natural disasters and increase the government’s capabilities.
The tool distribution marked the second stop in Fiji for NMCB 5 Seabees.
The battalion, currently deployed to Okinawa, Japan, sent a small detachment of 11 Seabees to Fiji earlier in 2016 to help repair a local school damaged by Tropical Cyclone Winston, successfully completing renovations on the Navolau District School, Nov. 28.
Through a naval message, U.S. Ambassador to Fiji Judith B. Cefkin, wrote of her appreciation for the Seabee’s efforts.
“Your team’s two separate visits demonstrated the U.S. commitment to Fiji as we enhance our partnership on shared regional challenges such as disaster relief and building climate change resilient communities,” said Cefkin. “I know that the team went above and beyond, working into the night for several days to finish the Navolau project on schedule, and (I) applaud the strong work ethic they modeled.”
The renovations reinforced the school to serve as an emergency shelter for the surrounding villages in the event of a cyclone.
“Indeed, just weeks after completing the project, Fiji faced the threat of another cyclone,” said Cefkin. “I breathed easier knowing that the Navolau community had a safe shelter, thanks to the work your team did.”
NMCB 5 is the forward deployed, Western Pacific NMCB, ready to support Major Combat Operations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. They provide general engineering and civil support to Navy, Marine Corps and joint operational forces. Homeported out of Port Hueneme, Calif., NMCB 5 has 14 detached sites deployed throughout the United States and Western Pacific area of operations.
Commander, 30th NCR provides operational control over naval engineering forces throughout the Pacific, Southwest Asia, and the Western United States in response to combat commander and naval component commander requirements. They serve an integral part of the Naval Construction Force and accomplish major combat operations, theater security cooperation, humanitarian assistance, disaster recovery and Phase Zero requirements across the Pacific area of responsibility.
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.24.2017 16:17 |
| Story ID: | 221201 |
| Location: | FJ |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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