Petty Officer 1st Class Colby Wightman (Right) volunteered to assist in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts by loading and delivering 300 bags of beans and rice, in two sorties, to individuals affected by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie.
Petty Officer 1st Class Colby Wightman (Right) volunteered to assist in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts by loading and delivering 300 bags of beans and rice, in two sorties, to individuals affected by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie.
Petty Officer 1st Class Colby Wightman (Right) volunteered to assist in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts by loading and delivering 300 bags of beans and rice, in two sorties, to individuals affected by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie.
Petty Officer 1st Class Colby Wightman (Right) volunteered to assist in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts by loading and delivering 300 bags of beans and rice, in two sorties, to individuals affected by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie.
Petty Officer 1st Class Colby Wightman (Right) volunteered to assist in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts by loading and delivering 300 bags of beans and rice, in two sorties, to individuals affected by Hurricane Matthew in Jeremie.

Seabees Repair Critical Electrical Infrastructure in Haiti

Oct. 14, 2016
Muskevitsch and Wightman responded to a request for volunteers with hands-on experience and knowledge of utility systems.

Two Seabee technicians from Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE), deployed to support ongoing relief operations in Haiti, corrected hazardous electrical issues that were causing power surges at the Port Au Prince Airport. The surges were leading to catastrophic equipment losses.

Chief Petty Officer James Muskevitsch and Petty Officer First Class Colby Wightman were deployed with the Joint Task Force Matthew advance party to provide damage assessment, troubleshoot, and assist in repair of the critical electrical infrastructure in preparation for the arrival of the NAVFAC Contingency Engineer Response Team and JTF main parties.

Muskevitsch and Wightman responded to a request for volunteers with hands-on experience and knowledge of utility systems that circulated NAVFAC EXWC, a tenant command on Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, California.

They assessed the incoming utilities and building power, ultimately rewiring the breaker panels. Their actions resulted in rebalancing the electrical load and creating a safe operating environment. Ultimately they brought the building off local utilities and on to a generator establishing electrical security for the JTF to conduct ongoing operations.

In addition to lending their electrical expertise, Muskevitsch and Wightman displayed their "can do" attitude and volunteered to assist in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts by loading and delivering 300 bags of beans and rice, in two sorties, to individuals affected by the hurricane in Jeremie.

Once the CERT is in country, the Seabees will assist with assessments and provide any expedient repairs necessary to improve the conditions in Haiti caused by Hurricane Matthew.

MUSE is an all enlisted division of NAVFAC EXWC that provides energy independence for worldwide Navy and DoD critical infrastructures and facilities through reliable, responsive, and effective interim mobile utility support equipment and technical assistance.

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