From the air, there is very little left of Kreung Raya, a city northeast of Banda Aceh on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. There are huge surfaces of water, rubble is strewn everywhere, and massive red and white metal vats lie all over the place. The only thing that appears unscathed in the city, which was first hit one week ago Sunday by the devastating earthquake and then was directly in the path of the tsunamis that followed, is its white mosque -- almost everything else in the port city has been destroyed.

Lieutenant Gabriel Bullaro carefully banks his Seahawk helicopter over the remains of the city and then gently sets the silver-grey HC-11 helicopter down on a small rocky surface. The rotors set off a small sand storm. But that doesn't stop the residents from immediately rushing to the aircraft; a pair of uniformed Indonesian men, guns strapped to their shoulders, is needed to keep people from charging up to the helicopter.

Inside, cases filled with water, cookies, noodles and other foods are stacked to the helicopter's roof and three US Navy pilots throw the supplies out the door at lightning speed. The Indonesians then quickly build a human chain to distribute the provisions. Within what seems like barely 10 minutes, close to two tons of relief goods are unloaded. The pilots then plug in their radio headsets, wave briefly and within seconds their helicopter is already buzzing in the air again -- hovering over green hills and palm groves on the way back to the military airport at Banda Aceh. In flight, the men are very casual, but they maintain a professional air to them. A badge on the arm of one the Navy personnel's shirts says "death cheater."

During the past two days, the US Navy deployed in Indonesia's crisis-ridden Aceh province in northern Sumatra have made over 75 flights to areas completely cut off from the outside world. They have delivered tons of relief supplies and picked up a number of seriously injured Indonesians and brought them to hospitals for treatment.

For the Americans, the action offers more than just the chance to bring relief supplies to Indonesians in a truly desperate situation -- it's also a major public relations opportunity. If Washington succeeds here, it can demonstrate that it is capable of doing more than just fighting in Muslim countries -- it also stands at their side in their time of need. During a visit on Wednesday, outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell will spend two hours inspecting Banda Aceh.

The 12 US helicopters deployed in Aceh are stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is anchored just offshore at Banda Aceh. It's the same ship where US President George W. Bush gave the famous May 2003 speech in which he declared "mission accomplished" and prematurely heralded the end of the war in Iraq.

But the USS Abraham Lincoln is just part of a multi-pronged US-led relief effort here. Washington has said it will strengthen its aid operations within hours. And a second fleet of aircraft carriers is plying the ocean towards Sumatra, carrying with it large Chinook cargo helicopters that will dramatically increase the capacity for bringing food and medicines to the people who need them.

They are desperately needed. Earlier today the relief campaign suffered a serious setback when the airport at Banda Aceh was completely closed to almost all aircraft when a Boeing 737 hit a water buffalo that was crossing the runway during a landing.

Nobody was injured in the accident, but the plane was stranded in the middle of runway for hours with its nose on the asphalt, its landing gear wrecked. Only late on Tuesday evening Indonesian time was heavy equipment available to heave the plane from the runway.

The German army also encountered hurdles in its relief efforts on Tuesday. When soldiers arrived on Monday evening and wanted to reconnoiter, there was no transportation available for them. The planned flight over the region also had to be cancelled.