U.S. military earthquake relief efforts in Nepal led by Joint Task Force 505 have been named “Operation Sahayogi Haat,” which means “Helping Hand” in Nepali, by U.S. Pacific Command based out of Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.

JTF 505 has been working with the government of Nepal in support of joint humanitarian disaster relief operations to limit further loss of life and human suffering in response to the devastating magnitude-7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck central Nepal on April 25.

Supporting Disaster Relief Operations

The task force has been supporting ongoing disaster relief operations with a U.S. Air Force Contingency Response Group, three Marine Corps UH-1Y Huey helicopters, four Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, four Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft and two Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules aircraft, as well as various ground and aviation command and control capabilities since May 4.

To date, JTF 505 in tandem with the U.S. Agency for International Development has delivered approximately 49.9 tons of relief supplies, transported 273 personnel and has conducted more than 68.9 hours of flight time throughout affected areas of Nepal.

JTF 505 Forward consists of approximately 300 U.S. military personnel on the ground in Nepal currently supporting the multinational relief efforts.

JTF 505 Main in Okinawa, Japan, and an Intermediate Staging Base in Thailand consist of approximately 590 U.S. military personnel.