A Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point crew has returned home to Oahu after responding to the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Lola in the island nation of Vanuatu.

The crew of the C-130 plane was already deployed to the area to provide aerial surveillance fishery patrols in support of a Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency operation. In response to a request from the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, the crew changed course.

Its new objectives included conducting post-storm overflights and assessing the condition of ports and critical infrastructure affected by the cyclone, and providing relief supplies. Vanuatu, which sits roughly 3,521 miles southwest of Hawaii, is made up of 80 islands and home to 335,000 people. Tropical Cyclone Lola, a Category 4 storm, swept through the South Pacific island chain inflicting significant damage and killing at least two.

Over the course of approximately seven days, the aircrew did a post-storm assessment of Vanuatu’s Torba region and overflights of its Santo and Lonorore airports to evaluate if they could take in aid. During the post-storm flights, the crew delivered over 80,000 pounds of relief supplies, including Australian and New Zealand Aid Kits and medical supplies, to Vanuatu.

“The USCG’s deployment of a C-130 to conduct post-storm assessments and deliver vital supplies to the Pacific Island chain of Vanuatu demonstrates our unwavering commitment to humanitarian aid and disaster response,” said Cmdr. Andrew Williams, enforcement branch chief of the Honolulu-headquartered Coast Guard District 14. “We always stand ready to assist our international partners in times of need, working together to restore hope and resilience in affected communities.”

The Coast Guard has historically played a central role in search and rescue efforts in the region, but it has also been accustomed to doing so with limited resources. It was just in 2022 that crews at Barbers Point completed transitioning to the latest model of the C-130 — the C-130J — which has upgraded cameras and sensors with the ability to transmit what they’re seeing in real time to officials on the ground.

But in recent years concerns about rampant illegal fishing, China’s growing influence in the Pacific islands and increasing natural disasters in the region have prompted U.S. lawmakers to make moves to boost the small service’s footprint in the region and upgrade its equipment. The service is now playing an increasingly prominent role in U.S. policy in the Pacific. In the White House’s 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy, it is the only military service specifically named, calling for bolstering its presence and working more closely with regional countries.