Air Force Times
Hurricane Helene left low-lying parts of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, such as this sports complex, flooded Friday morning. MacDill later said the situation had improved and the floodwater drained away. (U.S. Air Force)
Much of MacDill Air Force Base in Florida was without power Friday morning and low-lying areas were flooded after Hurricane Helene blew through the state overnight.
But Tyndall Air Force Base — which six years ago was devastated by a previous hurricane — appears to have suffered no major damage.
MacDill said in a social media posts that its hurricane recovery team is still assessing damage to the base and trying to restore power, and the base remains closed.
The storm surge that hit MacDill — located near Tampa and the home of U.S. Central Command’s headquarters — was significant, and near the area’s record for water levels, the base said. Roads are also strewn with debris.
The base posted a photo of a flooded sports complex online Friday morning, and later said in a follow-up comment that waters had receded and the situation had improved.
Helene slammed into northwestern Florida late Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. It has since weakened and become a tropical storm over Georgia as it moved up through the southeast.