Damage on Wake less than feared, flyover shows

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HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) --  A U.S. Coast Guard aerial assessment of Wake Island Sept. 2 showed less destruction than expected from Super Typhoon Ioke, but the Air Force needs people on the ground at Wake to determine the full extent of damage, officials said.

The Coast Guard flew the mission to check for pollution releases. It was flown in a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point in Kapolei, Hawaii. Footage and pictures taken on the mission, which were reviewed by Coast Guard and Air Force officials, don't show any oil spills or hazardous-material releases, the Coast Guard said.

A U.S. Navy ship left Naval Base Guam Sept. 4 for a four-day, 1,500-mile trip to the island. The ship carries members of the Air Force's 36th Contingency Response Group at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sherman from Alameda, Calif., is expected to arrive Sept. 7 with members of the Coast Guard Pacific Strike Team. As part of its mission the team responds to potential oil and hazardous-material spills. The team will conduct a detailed survey of the island and check the integrity of island structures, the Coast Guard said.

Ioke hit Wake Island Aug. 31 with 150 mph winds. All 188 island residents had been evacuated on two C-17 Globemaster IIIs from the 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam AFB.