The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is expected to provide satellite images to China as soon as today [May 19 2008] to assist in damage assessments in earthquake-stricken Sichuan province, a senior defense official said today.

The People’s Republic of China specifically requested imagery of dams, reservoirs, roads and bridges, said Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs. Weather permitting and if cloud cover doesn’t hamper the effort, the first images are expected to be delivered today, he said.

The imagery-support request follows two C-17 Globemaster aircraft deliveries of supplies to China yesterday. The loads, delivered to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, carried food, water containers, blankets, lanterns, generators and hand tools from U.S. military relief stocks in Hawaii and Guam.

While no additional flights are scheduled, the U.S. military remains ready to deliver more assistance, Whitman said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Pacific Command continued humanitarian flights today to cyclone-stricken Burma, Whitman reported. Five C-130 aircraft delivered more relief supplies today, following 10 flights during the weekend. To date, 31 airlifts have delivered more than 727,000 pounds of water, food, mosquito netting, shelters, medical supplies, hygiene supplies and other relief.

“We have no further scheduled flights, but we anticipate that the government is going to permit a similar number of flights, probably tomorrow, as they have in the past several days now,” Whitman said.

Humanitarian aid organizations operating in Burma report that the relief supplies are reaching the affected areas. But without any U.S. military presence on the ground, Whitman said, it’s impossible to verify all aid is getting where it’s needed.

Burma’s military junta has not authorized four U.S. ships on standby in the Bay of Bengal to join in the relief effort. USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry, USS Mustin and USS Juneau are equipped with 14 heavy-lift and medium-lift helicopters. “Right now, the only thing we have been granted permission for is the C-130 flights,” Whitman said.

He expressed hope that Burma will tap into all the support ready to help. “There is still a good deal of suffering that is taking place in Burma. We are hopeful that we will be able to continue to provide some of that badly needed assistance,” he said.

“So we are going to continue to monitor the situation, work through this problem and, as always, encourage the government to accept outside assistance so we can provide it to those that most need it right now.”

DVIDS
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Shanghaiist

UPDATE 82, 12:09am: The New York Times confirms that 2,300 cell phone towers were knocked down. There are “no signs” that the earthquake has damaged the Three Gorges Dam, a few hundred miles east of the epicenter.

UPDATE 83, 12:21am: Japan, Taiwan, Germany, and Russia are all offering assistance in the rescue effort.

UPDATE 84, 12:29am: 61 dead and 176 injured in Sha’anxi province.

UPDATE 85, 12:45am: From Xinhua, China Telecom reporting that fiber-optic cables between Chengdu and Xi’an have been severed resulting in problems with telephone service. China Netcom reports that three Internet routes from Sichuan to other provinces have also been severed.

UPDATE 86, 1:01am: AP reporting that rescue efforts are being hampered by landslides that are blocking the route from Chengdu to Wenchuan

UPDATE 87, 1:27am: Yahoo! News has many photos of the earthquake damage.

UPDATE 88, 1:31am: “Damn the Earthquake Bureau!”

UPDATE 89, 1:49am: And so it begins, less than 12 hours after the earthquake: “Those who died in the earthquake are victims of the economic miracle,” so says The First Post.

UPDATE 90, 2:18am: As we expected, the notice we found on the Sichuan provincial government website of the Abeizhou Seismic Bureau (assuring residents the news of an impending earthquake were just rumours) that we told you about in Update 16 has been removed. We’re not sure when this was removed exactly, but this probably won’t be the last time we’re hearing of the Abeizhou Seismic Bureau. Screenshot still available here for those of you that missed the earlier update.