Haiti Relief Support Update

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Haiti Relief Support Update

It has been a month since Hurricane Matthew ravaged Haiti, leaving roughly 175,000 homeless with problems mounting such as the spread of cholera and famine. The overall situation in Haiti is dire. Although resources like food and cholera treatments are available, the capability of delivering them to locations across the country has been hindered by inaccessible roadways.

Last week, we announced that we would be sending resources to assist with the relief efforts. This was made possible by our friends at Milestone Aviation who connected us with Airlink. Shortly after, a team of four Bell Helicopter employees made their way to Haiti in a Bell 412EP and a Bell 429.

Following their arrival a Western Global Airlines cargo plane landed with 175,000 pounds of cargo including food, cholera treatment and mitigation supplies, and general medical supplies. It was now on the Bell team to get the supplies to the areas that were once unreachable.

On one of the first relief trips the team was joined by Dr. Laurence Boutin. The team was delivering supplies to the commune of Abricots. Dr. Boutin had been in Haiti for some time, but had been struggling to get to this commune for several weeks because ground vehicles took more than 12 hours to get through the rough terrain. The crew loaded more than 1000 pounds of cargo between the two helicopters and arrived to Abricots in 40 minutes. 

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“It’s moments like this where you can really see the power of rotorcraft,” said Will Williamson, Bell Helicopter’s demonstration pilot. “How impassable conditions can be overcome by the capabilities of a helicopter to provide the much needed relief to people who have suffered far too much. It’s also moments like these that reinforce why I became a helicopter pilot.”

Check back for updates from our team on-the-ground in Haiti! 

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About Bell

Thinking above and beyond is what we do. For more than 85 years, we’ve been reimagining the experience of flight – and where it can take us.

We are pioneers. We were the first to break the sound barrier and to certify a commercial helicopter. We were a part of NASA’s first lunar mission and brought advanced tiltrotor systems to market. Today, we’re defining the future of advanced air mobility.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., – we have strategic locations around the globe. And with nearly one quarter of our workforce having served, helping our military achieve their missions is a passion of ours.

Above all, our breakthrough innovations deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Efficiently. Reliably. And always, with safety at the forefront.

About Textron

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellations or deferrals of orders; our ability to keep pace with our competitors in the introduction of new products and upgrades with features and technologies desired by our customers; changes in government regulations or policies on the export and import of our products; volatility in the global economy or changes in worldwide political conditions that adversely impact demand for our products; volatility in interest rates or foreign exchange rates; and risks related to our international business, including establishing and maintaining facilities in locations around the world and relying on joint venture partners, subcontractors, suppliers, representatives, consultants and other business partners in connection with international business, including in emerging market countries.

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