From USAToday.com
Hurricane Michael smashed through Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida — a key part of the network of bases protecting the continental United States — causing widespread damage that crews were only beginning to assess Thursday.
After landfall Wednesday, the Category 4 storm’s winds of more than 150 mph peeled off roofs, tore down trees and power lines and caused “significant structural damage” to buildings on the base, according to the Air Force. The base had been evacuated on Monday, but a small team remained behind. There were no injuries reported.
Tyndall is home to 325th Fighter wing, which flies the F-22 Raptor, the most sophisticated fighter in the Pentagon’s arsenal. Those warplanes were relocated from Tyndall before the storm hit. Command and communication for operations at the base was shifted as well, according to Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command.
O’Shaughnessy told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday the air operations center at Tyndall is designed to provide security across the country. When it became clear Michael was headed straight toward the base, the Air Force shifted that operation.
“Based on the classification, I’m not going to tell you the specific base that it transferred to, but we actually did that last night,” O’Shaughnessy said. “And so, before the storm ever arrived, we had actually transferred that command and control capability to another facility.”
The condition of the runway at the base was unclear Thursday, according to the Air Force.
Airmen and civilians assigned to the base were advised to make plans for an extended time away from Tyndall. It’s unclear when it will be safe to return, according to the Air Force.