# 99012. "Hubs and Spokes" Keep Honduras Relief Flowing

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By Spc. Jeremy Ausburn
Special to the American Forces Press Service

CATACAMAS, Honduras -- Joint Task Force-Bravo's "hub and 
spoke" logistics system is proving its effectiveness every 
day in getting relief supplies to those who need it most in 
this hurricane-ravaged nation.

Hubs and spokes are in use in various parts of Honduras and 
are the forward bases of Hurricane Mitch relief delivery 
operations based out of Soto Cano Air Base. A typical hub 
is the town of Catacamas, in the province of Olancho.

Food, medicine and clothes arrive by truck and helicopter 
and are sorted according to "spoke" villages' needs, as 
reported by Honduran officials. CH-47 Chinook helicopters 
from Company C, 159th Aviation Regiment, and UH-60 Black 
Hawk helicopters from Company D, 228th Aviation Regiment, 
then deliver the sorted relief goods.

"We fly from Soto Cano to Aguacate, the airstrip outside 
Catacamas, in the morning and pick up supplies. Once the 
supplies are loaded, we fly them to whatever village they 
need to go to. Then, it's back to Aguacate and we continue 
this round-robin delivery system until the end of the day," 
said Chinook pilot Capt. Lori Turbak.

Soldiers, airmen and Marines man the hub. The Army takes 
care of communications, medical activities, resupply 
operations and aviation needs, including a forward area 
refueling point at Aquacate airstrip. The airmen and 
Marines provide security forces.

"The main [security] problem we have is the children who 
want to get close the helicopters when they're at the 
villages or when they're parked and locked up for the 
night," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Gary Andersen, part of 
the security force at Aguacate.

Although delivering supplies is the main mission of the 
hub, the Americans tend to do anything they can to help the 
Hondurans. One such instance was the medical evacuation of 
a Honduran woman who needed emergency care.

"We found a lady in one of the villages. � We put her and 
her husband on the helicopter and flew them back to 
Catacamas so that she could be helped," said Army Maj. 
Vincent Reap, Company D commander.

Joint Task Force-Bravo is scheduled to set up more "hub and 
spokes" around Honduras. The next will be in the El Paraiso 
region.

[Spc. Jeremy Auburn of the 49th Public Affairs Detachment 
(Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C., is assigned to support the 
U.S. military relief mission in Honduras.]

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 A CH-47 Chinook helicopter loaded with relief supplies lands at Aguacate airstrip outside the town of Catacamas, the hub distribution point of supplies in the Honduran province of Olancho. The Chinook belongs to Company C, 159th Aviation Regiment, at Soto Cano Air Base. Spc. Jeremy Ausburn, USA
 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from Company D, 228th Aviation Regiment, land and refuel at Aguacate airstrip outside Catacamas, Honduras. U.S. aircrews fly several daily relief delivery missions between Soto Cano Air Base and Catacamas, and Catacamas and outlying villages. Spc. Jeremy Ausburn, USA
 Honduran villagers unload relief supplies from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The Chinook and others like it are assigned to Company C, 159th Aviation Regiment, at Soto Cano Air Base, and make many daily round trips from the base to the hub distribution point at the town of Catacamas. Spc. Jeremy Ausburn, USA