Five RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft assigned to the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, rest on the flightline at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. The aircraft evacuated to MacDill due to rising floodwaters at Offutt. (SrA Caleb Nunez/Air Force)
NPR: Air Force Needs Almost $5 Billion To Recover Bases From Hurricane, Flood Damage
The U.S. Air Force says it needs $4.9 billion in new funding over the next two and a half years to cover the costs of rebuilding two air bases hit by natural disasters.
About one-third of Offutt Air Force Base, in eastern Nebraska, was underwater earlier this month as flooding hit large swaths of the Midwest. And Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle was hit hard by Hurricane Michael in October.
The Air Force is asking for $1.2 billion in supplemental funding for fiscal year 2019 and $3.7 billion for fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Congress would need to approve the funding.
"This storm, if we don't get a supplemental, is going to affect the rest of the Air Force and our ability to operate," Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said Wednesday at the Heritage Foundation. "We desperately need the supplemental to recover from the natural disaster that hammered Tyndall and Offett."
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WNU Editor: The Air Force wants $5 billion to repair weather damage at Offutt Air Force Base and Tyndall Air Force Base. But Offutt Air Force Base has just received a clean bill of health .... Offutt runway gets clean bill of health after flooding, limited operations resume (Air Force Times). So why the funds? On a side note, here is a list of U.S. military bases at risk from climate change .... Pentagon releases list of military bases most at risk to climate change (The Hill).
More News On The U.S. Air Force Wanting $5 Billion To Recover Two Bases From Hurricane And Flood Damage
Air Force submits urgent $4.9B request for bases damaged by storms, floods -- The Hill
Air Force bases ask for billions following historic extreme weather -- Axios
US Air Force May Ground Bombers, Cut Flight Time Without $5B Needed to Fix Bases -- Sputnik
