Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida has begun its long-term recovery in the aftermath of October’s catastrophic Hurricane Michael.
“We will rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base,” vowed Vice President Mike Pence during a visit to the disaster struck facility. Already, a number of significant operations are scheduled to resume in the near future, with others shifting to alternate locations for the time being. It is thought that all but 500 personnel will return to the air force base within the next one to three months.
“We are focused on taking care of our airmen and their families and ensuring the resumption of operations,” said Secretary of the Air Force, Heather Wilson. “These decisions were important first steps to provide stability and certainty. We’re working hard to return their lives to normalcy as quickly as possible.”
Despite the devastation, the relief effort has been a welcome reminder of the close military ties between branches. In the days following Hurricane Michael, air force personnel rallied from across the US, with the navy and army soon following suite.
Today, the US Air Force is taking great care to ensure all personnel and their families are supported once they return to the base. Currently, officials are working to identify the individual aircrew required to remain at Tyndall for mission needs or to assist with the longer-term recovery of the base.
“By the winter holidays and in many cases well before, we expect all our airmen – military and civilians – to have certainty about their options, so that everyone is either on a path or already settled,” said Air Force Chief of Staff, General David Goldfein.
“The strength of Tyndall comes from its airmen and their families. It will take us a while to restore buildings and infrastructure, but returning our airmen and their combat missions to full strength – at Tyndall or somewhere else in the interim – will happen quickly.”
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