Joint Task Force Bravo had 50 people and seven helicopters in Guatemala the day after Hurricane Stan's heavy rains devastated the country with landslides and flooding in early October. American Red Cross officials said more than 650 people died, and up to 35,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.

U.S. forces were in the air from Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, within two hours of the call for help from the Guatemalan government, but had to turn back because of continuing dangerous weather in the region.

Relief operations required the efforts of 100 to 115 U.S. troops from Soto Cano for a few weeks. Nine helicopters and several C-130 cargo planes airlifted supplies into the area. Over one six-day period, U.S. military aviation assets delivered 161 tons of food, medical supplies and equipment.

The need for helicopters was particularly great in villages where bridges had been wiped out in isolated, mountainous areas. Humanitarian efforts operated primarily out of Guatemala City and a Guatemalan air base.

Initial missions focused on search and rescue, but humanitarian relief quickly became the priority. Joint Task Force Bravo worked closely with Guatemalan aid officials to move host-nation assets.

In a Nov. 22 letter, Guatemalan President Oscar Berger Perdomo thanked U.S. Southern Command for the U.S. military's assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Stan.

“In the name of the people of Guatemala and of the Government of the Republic, I deeply appreciate the show of solidarity that the Government of the United States of America has expressed to our country which was hit hard by Hurricane Stan,” Berger wrote.

“International cooperation in moments of crisis is a valiant mechanism that draws people together from the world and creates the conditions in order to construct harmony between nations” Berger wrote.