Posted on 11/02/2005 5:37:50 PM PST by SandRat
KEY WEST, Fla. (NNS) -- Key West service members and their families returned to the island Oct. 30 after a weeklong evacuation from Hurricane Wilma.
Upon their return, they discovered an air station invaded not only by the sea, but a surge of Navy support hard at work to bring Naval Air Station (NAS) Key West air operations and family life back to full mission capability.
“Military careers are full of challenges but no challenge is greater than the one Mother Nature threw our way with Hurricane Wilma,” said NAS Key West Commanding Officer Capt. James Scholl. “It’s going to take time to work through recovery efforts, but we have a lot of help here from all over the Navy.”
Military families were evacuated to Key West’s designated safe haven in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 22. There, hotels with pre-arranged reservations were available to military families and their pets. With support from Navy Reserve Center, Orlando, a command post was established to provide communication and maintain musters with evacuated families.
In Key West, a core group of 100 designated military and civilian personnel hunkered down to await Hurricane Wilma’s arrival. Though storm winds never wavered higher than this year’s earlier storms, the majority of Key West, the air station, and its annexes were flooded with a storm surge unrivaled in decades.
When floodwaters receded, air station security personnel deployed to safeguard military housing areas and other Sailors restored runways to operational use.
“Essential personnel who remained during the hurricane worked long hard hours, but maintained safety standards and morale,” said Lt. Woody Woodfin, NAS Key West security officer.
Within hours of the storm surge, more than 200 military homes and 200 bachelor quarters were rendered uninhabitable, according to Capt. (sel.) Pat Gibbons, officer in charge Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Forward.
“Out of 800 housing units, approximately half have been determined uninhabitable, and the residents can’t live in them,” Gibbons said. “The damage to military housing was not as catastrophic as Gulfport, Miss., because the wind damage wasn’t as extreme.”
It took Florida and Monroe County officials almost two days to reopen the overseas highway for vehicular traffic to Key West. At NAS, some of the first official vehicles through the front gate were coordinators from NAVFAC and defense contractor managers, who began initial assessments of damage and devised a recovery plan.
Armed with an Emergency Contingency Construction Capabilities (CONCAP) contract, more than 200 defense contractors arrived Oct. 25 to begin repairs. CONCAP contracts managed by NAVFAC have been a force multiplier this busy hurricane season to quickly provide wide ranging emergency recovery efforts in hurricane stricken areas like Key West.
More support for NAS Key West arrived by air after runways were reopened. A C-40A “Clipper,” arranged through Commander, Navy Region Southeast and Naval Air Station Jacksonville, landed within 72 hours of Wilma’s passing, packed full of supplies from Commander, Naval Installations Community Support Team. Supplies included more than 250 cases of bottled water, 10 generators and recreation kits.
The Community Support Team also dispatched a mobile food truck, two utility vehicles for NAS Key MWR staff use, and 20 recreation trailers to temporarily house displaced military families.
Once Key West’s service members and their families returned home Oct. 30, those whose units were marked as uninhabitable were directed to NAS’ visitor’s quarters for assignment to temporary quarters and free, hot meals from the base’s Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) department. The displaced families are currently housed in visitor’s quarters, Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) vacation rentals, and the Navy Lodge. A special edition of the base newspaper “The Southernmost Flyer,” and daily information bulletins are keeping military families and assigned civilians abreast of recovery efforts and ever changing details.
Another way families are being assisted in recovery is through the Navy Exchange (NEX). Before families came back to Key West, the NEX began addressing what would be the immediate needs of returning families. Gas stations were restored to life using temporary pumps attached directly to supply tanks. Mini marts knocked out of commission were replaced with two mobile stores dispatched from Pensacola, Fla. Truckloads of new furniture, appliances, bicycles and uniform items rolled into town before families. Also provided by the NEX were personal comfort kits and 1,500 free reusable cellular phones, each with 120 minutes.
“As the recovery efforts continue and we are back to full manning, all hands are assessing base property and their own personal property,” said Woodfin, who has been stationed at Key West for four months and been through three hurricanes. “Overall, the hurricane experience was chaotic, the epitome of crisis management.”
Crisis management will be on the minds of the displaced families at Key West. Once they take stock of their household items, they have another resource they can turn to for support. An “information mall” will be established at the MWR youth center at Sigsbee Park. Task Force Navy Family, Navy Region Southeast representatives, and dozens of other federal, state, local and base representatives will be on hand to answer questions and assist with claims paperwork.
Fleet and Family Service Center representatives are offering a wide range of services including financial planning, stress management counseling, and insurance information.
NAS Key West
I couldn't get the photo link to work. Is it just me?
Tis heart warming to hear our navy folks will get things back in order asp. No bullshit here I am sure. Get the job done pronto. Hopefully all those families had insurance that will provide them with new homes and replace their losses.
It is going to take a while. While the MSM were showing a bunch of whiners waiting hours for free handouts in Broward County, the Keys were really hurting and get no attention at all.
Wow - it looks bad down there.
BTTT
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