A month ago, Hurricane Michael upgraded from a category two to a category four hurricane overnight. In an effort to keep the base’s most important assets safe, its people, Col. Brian Laidlaw, 325th Fighter Wing commander released an evacuation order.
With exception of the ride-out team, comprised of nearly 100 Tyndall members, everyone left. Among the mix of those remaining were first responders, base leadership and command post personnel.
The initial assessment of the aftermath was bleak, but in the weeks since, the outlook has taken a turn for the better. The base has built back up to more than 2,000 personnel with nearly half on the ground originally from Tyndall.