MacDill AFB evacuates planes and people as Hurricane Milton approaches 

MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, started evacuating personnel on Monday as Hurricane Milton approaches.

The emergency storm preparation comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene flooded parts of the base, where U.S. Central Command’s and U.S. Special Operations Command’s headquarters and the 6th and 927th air refueling wings are located.

And it comes as Milton rapidly intensified, reaching category 5 status.

Milton formed as a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend and is heading northeast towards Florida. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts it will hit the Tampa Bay area late Wednesday or early Friday.

MacDill, which is the home of KC-135 Stratotankers, began flying aircraft to safer locations on Sunday, 6th wing commander Col. Edward Szczepanik said in a video posted on social media.

Szczepanik on Sunday issued a mandatory evacuation order for base personnel living in certain areas likely to be hit by the hurricane, including those who live in on-base housing, which was to begin at 12:30 p.m. Monday and finish by 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Personnel who are mission-essential or assigned to a hurricane recovery team are not being evacuated, the base said, and child development centers remain open to accommodate personnel who must respond to the storm.

Parts of MacDill were temporarily powerless and flooded in low-lying areas after Hurricane Helene struck Florida Sept. 26, as it passed north. MacDill said at the time that the storm surge that resulted from Helene brought near-record water levels and left debris scattered across roads, though the water soon subsided.