Bill Nelson: Tyndall won’t close over Hurricane Michael damage

Bill Nelson meets with Tyndall officials.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson says Tyndall Air Force Base won’t close despite tremendous damage caused by Hurricane Michael.

Tyndall officials this week briefed the Florida Democrat, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on the impact of the storm.

“Tyndall is totally devastated,” Nelson said. “The older buildings will have to be razed and rebuilt The newer structures on the base that have survived the monster storm will need substantial repairs.”

But he said the base remains a “vital component of our national defense.”

The proclamation comes despite a New York Times article this week stating the base was “a total loss.”

Base leadership meanwhile continues to tell service members and families stationed there that progress continues.

“Today is a better day than yesterday, and things are going to keep getting better,” wrote Col. Brian S. Laidlaw, 325th Fighter Wing Commander, in an open letter Saturday.

“Each day we recover more of Tyndall Air Force Base. Teams from around the country have arrived with the people and equipment we need to recover from Hurricane Michael.”

The letter does allude to continued evacuation of the base, as well as the arrival of recovery teams there. Laidlaw said minimum evacuation distance requirements have been reduced.

Anxiety about the significance of the base economically for the Panhandle ratcheted up, especially when it became clear Michael brought storm strength on par or greater than Hurricane Andrew.

In 1992, that infamous storm struck Homestead Air Force Base and largely leveled the facilities.

The following year, the Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended to President Bill Clinton that the base be shuttered. It remains in use as the Homestead Air Reserve Base but no longer houses the same level of activity.

But Nelson said Tyndall won’t suffer the same fate. One of the world’s largest testing and training grounds for the military remains in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. He said that greatly reduced the chance of closure.

Nelson’s office thinks the senator was the first federal official to tour the storm-impacted area of the state. He said he also continues to work with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio on bipartisan efforts to bring federal resources to the coast for assistance with recovery and rebuilding.