Contractors use heavy equipment to remove larges logs during the recovery operations at Wright-Patterson AFB. Volunteers from around Wright-Patterson AFB worked alongside base emergency responders and housing residents to ensure everyone’s safety and begin the cleanup process. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez.
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, suffered “minimal damage” after multiple tornadoes touched down late on May 27.
Flight operations were temporarily suspended on May 28 while the taxiways and runways in Area A were inspected, but the area was declared safe later that day after 331 pounds of debris, including fallen trees, were removed.
Off base, a total of 12 houses in the Prairies at Wright Field housing complex were determined to be uninhabitable and the families were relocated to temporary lodging during recovery operations, according to a base release.
The Dayton Daily News reported some 150 houses were damaged, and one person was injured. Although the roads have since reopened and electricity has been restored, residents are still being asked to boil water or take advantage of bottled water being given out at the Prairies Chapel Education Center.
The tornadoes were the latest in a series of natural disasters to strike USAF bases in the last year. Offutt AFB, Neb., is still recovering from major storms and flooding from earlier this year, and Tyndall AFB, Fla., was nearly destroyed when Hurricane Michael made landfall late last year.