Airborne troops prepare to deploy in Florida as aircraft carrier and two amphibious assault ships arrive to help beleaguered residents in Hurricane Irma aftermath
USS Abraham Lincoln reached the Florida Keys, where up to 10,000 people may need to be evacuated
The Navy has also dispatched two amphibious assault ships, the USS Iwo Jima and the USS New York
The ships will focus their efforts in the Florida Keys, where Irma rumbled through with Category 4 muscle
Florida Gov Rick Scott who flew over the area in a helicopter on Monday, described ‘devestating’ scenes
By KELLY MCLAUGHLIN
DAILYMAIL.COM
12 September 2017
Thousands of sailors, marines and soldiers have descended upon Florida to help with search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
USS Abraham Lincoln reached the Florida Keys, where up to 10,000 people may need to be evacuated, on Monday and its helicopters are flying over the region to survey the damage.
The Navy has also dispatched two amphibious assault ships, the USS Iwo Jima and the USS New York, to help with recovery efforts. They ported in Mayport, Florida, as they gathered supplies before supporting relief operations.
Florida Gov Rick Scott said officials on the USS Abraham Lincoln will focus their efforts in the Florida Keys, where Irma rumbled through with Category 4 muscle.
The aircraft carrier, which has a home port in Norfolk, Virginia, measures 1,100 feet, it can move at almost 35 miles per hour.
The USS Abraham is among some of the most complex ever built, weighing more than 99,000 tons, housing as many as 6,000 sailors, and supporting more than 70 aircraft.
The ships it’s joined by in Florida are just as impressive.
The USS Iwo Jima is 844ft long and can travel up to 25mph. The 40,0000 ton ship carries nearly 1,900 Marines and a mix of 30 helicopters.
The USS New York is 684ft long, weight 24,900 tons and can travel up to 25mph.
The ship has an Embarked Landing Force of 699 and a surge capacity of 800. It can carry a variety of ships and aircraft in numbers less than five.
Gov Scott, who flew over the Keys in a helicopter on Monday, described overturned mobile homes, washed-ashore boats and rampant flood damage and asked Floridians to be patient, warning that roads are impassable and that there are downed power lines.
The National Guard also has arrived in the island chain amid official fears that a humanitarian crisis may be developing in the stricken region.
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