Wright-Patterson assessing damage after tornado tears through Ohio

[Boats]

Wright-Patterson assessing damage after tornado tears through Ohio
By: Stephen Losey - AirForceTimes - 5-25-19
RE: https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/y...-through-ohio/

1st Photo link: https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/q_...KS2KFU27EI.JPG
Approximately 150 homes in the Prairies at Wright Field housing area were damaged, some significantly, during the storm that passed through the Dayton area late on Monday. (Wes Farnsworth/Air Force) 19

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 Praries 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.

The base is also setting up a claims center for military personnel who sustained damage during the storm, she said.

2nd photo link: https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/G4...SGQCULNU44.JPG
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base firefighters, security forces and chaplains are going door-to-door to make sure residents are safe and check on the condition of the buildings. (Wes Farnsworth/Air Force)

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.

3rd photo link: https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/3l...7KTVVGPCHY.jpg
The Northridge Shopping Center in Dayton, Ohio, several miles west of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, lies in shambles after a tornado struck the area. (Doral Chenoweth III/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

About this writer: Stephen Losey covers leadership and personnel issues as the senior reporter for Air Force Times. He comes from an Air Force family, and his investigative reports have won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover Air Force operations against the Islamic State.