Singaporean response to Hurricane Katrina Following that devastation of the United States Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina , the Prime Minister of Singapore , Lee Hsien Loong , sent a letter to US President George W . Bush promising support for the American people in their relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina . In his letter , Lee wrote : Relief operations . On 1 September , the Republic of Singapore Air Force ( RSAF ) sent three CH - 47 Chinook helicopters to Louisiana to assist in relief operations . The three aircraft were based at the Peace Prairie Singapore training detachment of the Texas Army National Guard ' s 149th Aviation Regiment in Grand Prairie AASF , Grand Prairie , Texas . They arrived in Fort Polk , Louisiana in the afternoon of 1 September to aid rescue operations mainly in resupply and airlifting missions . Thirty eight RSAF personnel , comprising pilots , aircrew and technicians were also deployed . The Singapore team worked with the Texas Army National Guard in the relief efforts . On 5 September , a fourth Chinook helicopter was sent to help in the relief operations , and the number of personnel deployed increased to 45 . Throughout the Singaporean relief effort , the four Chinooks flew 61 sorties . They transported hundreds of evacuees from flooded areas to safety , especially from the Louisiana Superdome and Ernest N . Morial Convention Center . They also picked up stragglers around the New Orleans area . The Chinooks carried a total of 540 tonnes of equipment , humanitarian aid , cargo , and supplies and rescued over 800 evacuees . They were involved in moving sand bags to block up the broken levee s . The number of aircraft sent exceeded that of all other foreign countries . RSAF Detachment Commander of Peace Prairie , Lieutenant - Colonel Kevin Rodrigues , said his men were in high spirits and remained focused in their mission . American Ambassador to Singapore Frank Lavin said the American people were deeply grateful for Singapore ' s help . He added that RSAF personnel were saving lives in Louisiana and that the other Gulf Coast States and Americans would long remember this . The RSAF ’ s Peace Prairie detachment has worked together with the Texas Army National Guard on other relief missions in the past , including relief operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd in North Carolina in 1999 and fire - fighting and flood relief operations in Texas in 2000 . During Hurricane Katrina , the Singapore Red Cross launched a public appeal to help victims of Hurricane Katrina . It requested donations from Singaporeans to the emergency so that the fund could be used to assist displaced and homeless victims through the American Red Cross . " " Singapore and Katrina " " . American Op - Ed columnist for the " New York Times " Thomas Friedman wrote an article " Singapore and Katrina " reflecting on the American government ' s management performance after the hurricane , which he felt was slovenly and compared poorly to Singapore ' s governance . He cited among others Kishore Mahbubani , dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy who said " " . . . You lose New Orleans , and you have 100 other cities just like it . But we ' re a city - state . We lose Singapore and there is nothing else . . . . " " . External links . News articles