A major U.S. military base is in harm’s way.

A major U.S. military base is in harm’s way. - The New York Times

A major U.S. military base is in harm’s way.

MacDill Air Force Base south of Tampa was swamped by Helene’s storm surge, and may see worse flooding from Milton.

Surrounded on three sides by the rising waters of Tampa Bay — and close to the projected path of Hurricane Milton — is a major U.S. military installation, MacDill Air Force Base.

MacDill, which houses the headquarters for U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command as well as a busy airfield, is only about 14 feet above sea level. That makes it vulnerable to flooding from a major storm surge like the one Milton may throw ashore when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Troops and aircraft had only just returned following the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene at the end of September when Milton exploded into a major hurricane. So, for the second time in three weeks, the base has been shut down and evacuated.

The rapid-fire hurricanes illustrate how climate change is affecting military operations both at home and abroad, a concern that Defense Department leaders have been voicing since 2008.

“Climate change is a national security issue, and for the national security community, that declaration is not controversial — it’s fact,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told an audience at the U.S. Military Academy during a 2023 symposium on sustainable infrastructure and resilience.

Repeated storms like those affecting MacDill can disrupt training, damage critical equipment and facilities and put military families at risk.

“You can’t adequately prepare for future threats if you’re occupied with urgent crises,” Ms. Hicks said.

During Hurricane Helene’s onslaught, base officials said, MacDill was flooded by a near-record storm surge and suffered minor building damage. The base, which is nearly flat, is likely to face more severe flooding this week.

“The main concern for MacDill is that storm surge,” said Capt. Kaitlyn Butler, chief of public affairs for the base. “It is critical to us to protect personnel, mission partners and our air power.”

To escape the storm, the base’s aircraft have been flown to McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, and base personnel were ordered to evacuate no later than Tuesday evening.

A hurricane recovery team of almost 200 service members will ride out the storm at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team. Unlike the base, the stadium is outside the flooding evacuation zone, Captain Butler said, and it was built to withstand Category 4 winds.

Weather-related crises have cost the Defense Department billions of dollars over the last few years. Hurricanes including Florence in 2018 and Michael in 2019 caused a total of more than $10 billion in damage and ruined equipment at major bases in the Carolinas and Florida, and river flooding at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska did $1 billion in damage in 2019.

Rachel Nostrant is a national and disability reporter and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their career. More about Rachel Nostrant

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