MacDill Air Force Base, Patrick Space Force Base, and other installations across Florida had begun recovering and reopening after Hurricane Ian swept through the state while Joint Base Charleston and other installations farther up the East Coast dealt with heavy rain and winds Sept. 30.
While aircraft from half a dozen bases evacuated in advance of the storm and MacDill ordered all non-mission-essential personnel to evacuate as well, it appeared no bases in Florida suffered major damage from the Category 4 storm. Much of the hurricane’s damage was focused in southwest Florida, leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
In separate Facebook posts, MacDill and Patrick leaders said they anticipated reopening all facilities by Monday, Oct. 3. Patrick leaders preliminarily reported “minimal damage” to the base and its facilities, while MacDill officials lifted its evacuation order and cleared mission essential personnel, housing residents, and dorm residents to return to the base on Sept. 29.
However, both bases are warning personnel to take caution and report issues as they clean up, and some facilities and gates at both bases remain closed.
Elsewhere across the state, some aircraft have begun to return to their bases after flying out before the storm. The 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field had evacuated AC-130Js, MC-130Js, MC-130Hs, U-28s, CV-22s, and A-29s in advance of the storm, but commander Col. Allison Black announced Sept. 29 that they had started returning.
Eglin Air Force Base and Tyndall Air Force Base had moved out of Hurricane Condition Level 5, giving personnel the all clear after a state of heightened alert.
It is unclear when the KC-135s that evacuated from MacDill or the C-130s and HH-60s evacuated from Patrick will return.
In South Carolina, meanwhile, bases were hit as the storm once more strengthened to become a hurricane. Joint Base Charleston relocated its C-17s on Sept. 29, and while no evacuation order had been mandated, officials had urged personnel to stay in place and closed some facilities.
The South Carolina Air National Guard, meanwhile, evacuated its F-16s from Columbia, S.C., on Sept. 29.