Eglin gears up for ‘the next big storm’

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Timothy P. Barela
  • Air Force Print News
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  Hurricane Ivan in September 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in July 2005 cost them millions of dollars in damages. 

Then, like the rest of the world, they witnessed Hurricane Katrina devastate New Orleans and the surrounding area last year. 

So, why then, would members of this Gulf Coast base welcome Hurricane Lisette, a Category 5 super storm?

Hurricane Lisette is a three-day exercise that started at Eglin May 15 and finished May 17. And while most exercises tend to bring moans and groans from many participants, this one has a different feel, according to Col. Dean Clemons, the 96th Air Base Wing vice commander.

The colonel, who will become the wing commander May 22, heads the base hurricane response force.

“Hurricane Katrina was the ‘bell ringer.’ It changed us,” Colonel Clemons said. “It has us looking over our shoulder for the next big storm.”

And now, with barely enough time to digest or recover from the enormity of the devastation Katrina caused, it is again close to the start of hurricane season, which runs from June through November.

“So locally we have everyone’s attention,” the colonel said. “There’s a greater sense of urgency throughout the gulf this season to make sure we are prepared.”

Colonel Clemons said they wanted to do a hurricane exercise late enough so that the information was fresh in everyone’s mind as they enter hurricane season, but not too late. The exercise covers everything from evacuation and sheltering to what to pack in personal hurricane preparation kits and updating inventory lists for insurance purposes.

“An exercise like this prepares folks emotionally, mentally and physically for the real thing,” Colonel Clemons said. “It gives folks a greater understanding of such things as the best evacuation routes, how to communicate after a storm, water preparation and storage, and a number of other issues. Most importantly, it concentrates on how to protect life and limb.”

With Eglin covering an area roughly the size of Rhode Island, even a small storm has the potential of causing millions in damages.

“As bad as Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis were to this area, they were not direct impact storms like Katrina in New Orleans, so things could get much worse,” said Staff Sgt. Darren Pemberton, of the 96th Civil Engineer Squadron's readiness flight.

That’s why Eglin has used lessons learned from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., another victim hard hit by Hurricane Katrina.

“After talking to the folks at Keesler, we figured out we needed more generators here, as well as a better shelter tracking system,” Sergeant Pemberton said. “We also found that we needed to plan to stay in shelters for five to seven days, instead of the two to three we used to prepare for.

"At Keesler, people were in shelters nearly a week and started to run out of supplies," he said. "We can learn from that.” 

In a best case scenario, Eglin would have no storms and would enjoy a very pleasant summer and fall on the Gulf Coast.

“But what we prepare for is the worst case scenario, where a Category 5 storm hits and we have catastrophic damage," Colonel Clemons said. "At that point, the priority becomes saving souls. That’s why we practice and prepare, so hopefully when the time comes, we execute our plan flawlessly and there’s no loss of life or limb.”

Unfortunately, the worst case scenario is not that farfetched, said Staff Sgt. Mitchell Westlund, a weather forecaster with Eglin's 46th Weather Squadron.

“All indications are that we will have an above average season in terms of storms, so it would be a mistake to take hurricane preparations lightly,” said Sergeant Westland, who in the past two years tracked notorious hurricanes Ivan, Dennis, Katrina and Rita.

So why this recent increase in hurricane threats?

“That’s the million dollar question,” Sergeant Westland said. “A lot of experienced doctors and scientists are still trying to figure that one out. In the meantime, it puts a lot of pressure on us to formulate the best forecast we can, so we can pass along as timely and accurate of information as possible.”

That information, as well as the preparations and planning from exercises such as Hurricane Lisette, might make all the difference when -- or if -- “the next big storm” does hit.