Florida Air Force Bases Evacuate Planes, Personnel as Hurricane Isaias Bears Down

The Air Force has begun evacuating stealth fighters, gunships, and special operations planes ahead of Hurricane Isaias’ expected landfall over the Gulf Coast this weekend.

Severe storms can be devastating for Air Force bases, endangering lives, damaging aircraft and buildings, and battering runways.

As of Oct. 8, three bases in Florida have begun flying out F-35 Lightning IIs, AC-130J Ghostriders, and MC-130J Commando IIs.

Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.—which was ravaged by Hurricane Michael in 2018—began moving out aircraft Oct. 8 including F-35s from the 325th Fighter Wing, a base spokesman told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Some aircraft were in the air in the morning, the spokesperson said, but the situation remained “fluid,” and it was unclear how many would ultimately fly out. The wing declined to say where the planes were going, citing operational security concerns.

Isaias is currently gathering strength in the Gulf of Mexico, with maximum sustained winds increasing to nearly 85 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said Oct. 8. That qualifies as a Category 1 hurricane, but the center’s forecast predicted Isaias’ winds could reach 110 miles per hour, or near Category 3 strength, over the next 24 hours.

Isaias is expected to hit the United States’ northern Gulf Coast sometime between late Oct. 9 and early Oct. 10, the center said. Parts of Alabama, Georgia, and the Florida panhandle could also face tornadoes.

“Isaias is expected to remain a dangerous hurricane through landfall, and gusty winds are expected well inland after landfall,” the center said. “A life-threatening storm surge is expected from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Suwannee, Florida.”

Bases in the region are on guard. Tyndall moved to Hurricane Condition 2 status on Oct. 8, meaning destructive winds of 58 miles per hour or greater were possible over the next 24 hours. Tyndall also limited installation access to mission-essential personnel, residents, and other authorized personnel, and facilities such as child care centers, the fitness center, and the commissary began closing throughout Oct. 8.

Another Florida installation, Eglin Air Force Base, flew its airworthy aircraft—including planes assigned to the 96th Test Wing, 53rd Wing, and 33rd Fighter Wing—to safer locations on Oct. 8. Aircraft that could not fly were placed in hangars for protection.

Civilian authorities in the Eglin region have also ordered some residents to evacuate. Eglin commander Col. Chris Keithley issued his own limited evacuation order for service members, Pentagon employees, and dependents living in certain parts of Okaloosa County, Fla., authorizing them to be reimbursed for their evacuation travel and saying they are not to return until directed to do so.

Eglin’s 96th Medical Group Hospital and pharmacies closed, but emergency operations, labor and delivery, and inpatient services remain open, the base said.

“The safety of our Airmen, their families, and our community is our highest priority,” Keithley said in a statement. “As we prepare for the potential impacts of Hurricane Isaias, we are taking proactive steps to protect our people and aircraft entrusted to our care. Relocating our aircraft is a deliberate decision that reflects our responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer resources while preserving our ability to execute the mission.”

The home of Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla., moved to Hurricane Condition 3 on Oct. 7 and limited base access to mission-essential personnel.

A spokesperson for Hurlburt also told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the base’s 1st Special Operations Wing had started flying out its AC-130s and MC-130s.

The wing commander also ordered roughly 1,000 Hurlburt residents in privatized military housing to evacuate by 5 p.m. on Oct. 8. Hurlburt said it doesn’t expect the storm surge to reach or damage housing structures, but that rising water levels could inundate a critical station that would interrupt vital wastewater, sewage, and potable water services.

Almost eight years ago, Tyndall was wrecked by Hurricane Michael when the Category 5 storm struck on Oct. 10, 2018. Aircraft that were not able to be flown out beforehand—including F-22 Raptor fighters—were damaged, some beyond repair, when their hangars were hit, and numerous buildings sustained damage that the Air Force called “catastrophic” at the time. Tyndall took years to recover, and its F-22 operations moved first to Eglin before ultimately settling at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va..

In March 2019, Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska experienced severe flooding, caused by the combination of a bomb cyclone’s violent weather and the melting of record snowfall. Those floods left dozens of buildings and much of Offutt’s flightline partially submerged, and prompted the base to evacuate several aircraft.

News Editor Greg Hadley contributed to this report.