Historic flooding in Nebraska, part of floods across the Midwest, swept over the sandbags piled by personnel at Offutt Air Force Base, leaving up to 7 feet of water in some of the 80 flooded buildings.
Military officials knew of the risks that building the base, which houses United States Strategic Command, along the Missouri River would have, according to an investigative report by NBC News.
Federal agencies involved in the maintenance of the base did not heed the risks, however, with the slow-moving bureaucracy stiffing an approval for a levee system reinforcement that would’ve helped safeguard the base.
The morass that proved to be the approval and construction of the system took the Army Corps of Engineers, a federal agency under the Pentagon’s jurisdiction that engages in national public works, longer than six years.
Military officials also brought their concerns to the administration. In a climate report delivered to the White House officials last year, officials said that that growing concerns on climate change are justified, adding that climate has the ability to impact military infrastructure in a way that jeopardizes national security.
In the report, officials said that “through direct impacts on U.S. military infrastructure and by affecting factors, including food and water availability, that can exacerbate conflict outside U.S. borders.”
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson visited the base on Friday, applauding the work that base personnel, military officials, and Nebraska lawmakers have done in getting Offutt back online.
“We have assistance flying in from all over the United States to assist in the assessment of the damage and to begin reconstruction,” Wilson said in a news release from the base. “The United States Air Force will rebuild Offutt Air Force Base. We will work with the Nebraska Congressional delegation to secure supplemental funds to be able to recover from the damage and make this base even better than it was.”
“There were no injuries, no loss of life on this base,” said Wilson. “All the aircraft were either flown out or moved to high ground. A lot of the ground equipment was saved because they called in everybody in an all-hands effort.”
U.S. Strategic Command, housed at the base, is one of the 10 commands that make up military operations under the Pentagon. It is responsible for commanding all U.S. airstrikes, keeping defense missile systems operational, and for upkeep of the Global Information Grid, a key platform of the U.S. defense communications around the world.
The nearly 10,000 people stationed at Offutt have reported back to the base, with almost a third of base personnel assigned to temporary work spaces due to the flood damages.
Drew Nystrom, a spokesman for the base, confirmed that base personnel have cleared the runways from any remaining flood water and that the base’s critical functions are operational. “Our ability to project air power has not diminished,” he said.
But Nystrom confirmed that it may still take months for the base to fully recover from the damages incurred and is fully operational in all capacities. Some of the aircraft stationed at Offutt have been transferred to other airfields where they are ready for deployment if needed.
Military officials have also established an emergency crisis center for personnel and family who were impacted by the flood, with 30 families so far having used the resources made available for relief.
