Posted on 08/31/2006 9:37:02 AM PDT by HAL9000
Excerpt -
Super Typhoon Ioke, a Category 5 storm and the strongest to hit the Pacific in more than a decade, slammed into tiny Wake Island Thursday, threatening to submerge the U.S. territory, U.S. Navy weather forecasters said.The storm, packing sustained winds of more than 220 mph, with some gusts topping 250 mph, came ashore at about 10 a.m. ET, and was slowly tracking west, gaining strength over the warm tropical waters, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported. Wake Island is located about 2,300 miles west of Honolulu.
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(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
WAKE UPDATE
9/3/2006 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFPN) -- Airmen and Sailors from Andersen will sail 1,500 miles to Wake Island to see how well the U.S. territory survived Super Typhoon Ioke.
The Air Force evacuated all 188 island residents on two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft Aug. 28 before the typhoon arrived Aug. 31 with 155 mph winds and gusts to 190 mph. The residents include Airmen, Department of Defense employees and Defense contractors.
Members of Andersen's 36th Contingency Response Group and U.S. Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 will sail Sept. 4 on an expected four-day trip to the island.
They will leave from U.S. Naval Base Guam. At Wake they will make initial assessments of the typhoon's impact on island infrastructure and airfield operations. An 18-foot storm surge and 40-foot waves were expected to hit the tiny island; the runway lies 14 feet above sea level.
"We went ahead and prepared all the facilities as best we could," said Air Force Capt. Nate Harris, Wake Island commander, before Ioke hit. "Now all we can do is sit and wait and see what damage occurs."
Wake Island lies 2,300 miles west of Hawaii and 1,500 miles east of Guam. It serves as a scientific outpost and a midpoint air base for Air Force planes flying across the Pacific Ocean. (Information provided by 36th Wing Public Affairs and 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs.)
"SuperTroll"
LOL! Carry on!
Wake Damage Photos
http://www.af.mil/news/story_media.asp?storyID=123026374
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