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It was apparently a normal day in Panama City Beach, Florida. But stormy winds and rising tides alluded to the devastation ahead. Thousands of residents were summoned to evacuate on site and in the surrounding areas. Some 3,500 employees at Tyndall Air Force Base were among the evacuees. Some of them are now operating from Civil Air Patrol Headquarters at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
"I knew something was happening," Sgt Master said. Kristen Redmon, whose waterfront house on the lagoon is just 5 minutes drive from the beach. "The water was flooding the wharf and the breeze was starting to fall."
Knowing that it would be irresponsible to stay when air force texts dictated an evacuation, she and her husband, Geno, cat Boo and dog Boogers loaded into the car three days of clothes and an ice chest filled with fridge items. They left a reserve of water and a generator for her best friend, a neighbor who had planned to weather the storm.
The Redmons left two days before the hurricane, but kept in touch with their neighbor, who told them through a cell phone the story of the storm.
"I heard the wind howling and the roof tearing," she said.
In the middle of their conversation, they lost communication, she said. A tear ran down her cheek as she remembered that terrifying moment, not knowing for several days that her friend had survived.
At Maxwell AFB, Redmon does the job she did at Tyndall AFB. She said the base and her house were badly damaged. In addition to the blown windows, shingles ripped off the roof, the attic lifted and sucked into the house and water inside, the house is "dented" and the wrought iron fence as a tent. "
Her past experiences with an earthquake and ice storms do not compare to the "water tornado", but like many victims of Hurricane Michael, she feels embarrassed to say she has damage.
"The damage of our friends is really more serious than ours," she said.
The Southwest Airlines flight attendant, who works at the Tyndall Air Operations Control Center as a civilian reservist, is currently serving orders at Maxwell Air Force Base to help maintain the Air Base operations. of Tyndall.
Geno, a retired air force colonel, is back at the beach to help his neighbors recover.
"He took a trailer, a backhoe, water and eight tanks of diesel fuel," Redmon said. "He is exhausted emotionally and physically, but there are so many handymen and a ton of destruction."
Lieutenant-Colonel Jim Clay, CAP's Director of Operations for 1st Air Force, also feels fortunate, although his home in Deer Point Lake, North Bay, Panama City, also suffered significant damage. .
"My damage was not as bad as those of others. The situation could have been much worse, "he said, referring to the 40 trees cut down on his property, a torn boat dock, broken windows, water intrusion, roof damage and soffits.
"Nobody managed to get out of this storm without any damage whatsoever," said Clay, who shared heartwarming stories about the many selfless ways people responded to requests for help. on social networks, by SMS and radio. "Neighbors help the neighbors."
"People bring cans of gas and money, distribute supplies and alert emergency service providers about critical needs, for example, helping generators run in a school. serving storm-proof shelter, "Clay said. "Coy Pilson (the director) occupied the shelter and took care of the needs of the community, putting their needs ahead of her."
Looking ahead, Clay noted that there are many unknowns.
"There is no electricity, no water, no place to buy fuel, no place to buy food. Most have to travel to Dothan, Alabama (more than 80 km) for fuel and supplies, and most have no place to go back to work, "he said.
Evacuees from Tyndall Air Force Base are scattered across the southern United States, said Colonel Mark Wootan of the Civil Air Patrol-U.S. Vice Commander of the Air Force.
"Several members of the 1st Air Force have been invited to come here (Maxwell AFB). It gives them the feeling that they still belong to a family, a team, and that gives them a place to put their hat, "he said.
"Their lives have been completely interrupted," he continued. "We open the door for them, our colleagues, so that they can continue to work and function. It's the right thing to do to help them get back to a normal life. "
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