IRELAND:What are the problems now and what exactly could the Army do to help, asks Tom Clonan.
There are clearly large volumes of international aid building up at airports and centralised transport hubs throughout the south Asian region most affected by the tsunami.
While this aid accumulates, the greatest challenge faced by survivors of the disaster in the immediate term is the threat posed by infectious diseases such as cholera, typhoid and malaria.
Ironically, as water is the source of this second disaster in the making, fresh water is crucial to the solution.
Tidal-wave flooding and contamination of water supplies in the region , along with rapid bacterial growth and viral spread, may spark vast epidemics of cholera and typhoid - capable of more than doubling the current death toll. These diseases typically cause catastrophic gastro-enteritis, dehydration and death.
The treatment for cholera and typhoid consists of oral and intravenous rehydration. Therefore, the primary logistical challenge posed for the relevant governments and aid agencies is to rapidly distribute the necessary water purification tablets, de-salination plants, pumps, saline drips and antibiotics to the worst affected areas - most of which are remote locations, far up-country from regional transport centres.
Consequently, in the crucial four- to six-week period ahead, helicopter transport will be at a premium in terms of addressing this problem.
The Air Corps has at least six Alouette III light-utility helicopters that could be made available to support this relief effort.
Significantly, some of these aircraft, located at Baldonnel's No. 3 Operations Wing, have just completed a major re-fit and service interval. They are, therefore, fully operational and capable of flying for approximately 400 hours each - with the minimum of maintenance.
Capable of carrying up to six medical personnel each - along with an under-slung load of up to 750 kilograms and with a range of over 200 miles - such aircraft would provide relief agencies such as GOAL, Concern or the Red Cross with a highly flexible and invaluable tool with which to respond to the current crisis.
With the Air Corps no longer engaged in search-and-rescue operations off our coasts and with a much-reduced Border operations portfolio, these aircraft, along with their pilots and support crew, are currently under-utilised.
Indeed, many Air Corps pilots and personnel are frustrated that such a valuable asset - tailor-made for this unprecedented humanitarian crisis - should remain grounded at this critical time. One heavy-lift aircraft, for example, an Antonov 124 aircraft, would be sufficient to ferry all of the relevant Air Corps helicopters, pilots and support personnel to any designated point in south-east Asia.
The general staff of the Defence Forces will be consulting their brigade commanders and corps directors today to assess what combination of aircraft and specialist personnel can best be offered to assist the current relief effort.
They are also in the preliminary stages of chartering a heavy-lift aircraft and a passenger jet with a view to responding to an imminent UN request for assistance - to Sri Lanka, Thailand or Indonesia. Such a deployment - which could be operational in less than a week and consisting of aircrew, medical and engineering personnel from the Irish Defence Forces - would save thousands of lives immediately.
Time and a swift decision are of the essence.