Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio is starting to assess and clear away damage caused by at least one tornado that tore through the Dayton area Monday night.
Wright-Patterson spokeswoman Marie Vanover said that the base’s initial assessment found about 150 off-base homes at The Prairies at Wright Field, as well as numerous vehicles, were damaged, with a few sustaining significant damage. The base’s work crews are on-site to clear the area and continue with the damage assessment, Vanover said.
Montgomery County, Ohio, in which Dayton is located, called the tornado that struck the area “large [and] dangerous” on its official Twitter account early this morning. At least one person was killed as a result of the storm, Accuweather reported.
Vanover said fire department personnel, security forces and chaplains from the base are going door-to-door at the homes to make sure the residents are safe and check on the condition of the buildings.
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The base is also setting up a claims center for military personnel who sustained damage during the storm, she said.
Wright-Patterson is also working with the privatized housing contractor managing those homes to make sure residents who were displaced get the support they need, Vanover said.
The holiday weekend’s storm represents the latest natural disaster to hit Air Force facilities in recent months, including a hurricane that devastated Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida last October and flooding that swamped parts of Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska in March.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
