1 00:00:00,910 --> 00:00:03,190 - [Cynthia] Everything that I basically didn't take 2 00:00:03,190 --> 00:00:04,023 was destroyed. 3 00:00:04,023 --> 00:00:05,940 - [Brian] Airman First Class, Cynthia Bean, 4 00:00:05,940 --> 00:00:08,600 was just one of thousands of people impacted 5 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:11,950 when Hurricane Michael devastated central northwest Florida, 6 00:00:11,950 --> 00:00:16,665 including Tyndall Air Force Base October 10th, 2018. 7 00:00:16,665 --> 00:00:19,070 - It was actually very emotional for me 8 00:00:19,070 --> 00:00:21,380 on the way back from Tampa where I was staying 9 00:00:21,380 --> 00:00:22,900 with my parents, while I evacuated. 10 00:00:22,900 --> 00:00:24,730 I cried basically the whole way home. 11 00:00:24,730 --> 00:00:26,740 It was a lot to take in. 12 00:00:26,740 --> 00:00:28,620 My house being destroyed, 13 00:00:28,620 --> 00:00:30,960 my work center, I wasn't sure what happened. 14 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:32,300 I didn't know if I was gonna PCS. 15 00:00:32,300 --> 00:00:33,540 It was very hard. 16 00:00:33,540 --> 00:00:35,730 - [Brian] While evacuated with her husband, Patrick, 17 00:00:35,730 --> 00:00:38,820 the young airman was able to perform job duties off site 18 00:00:38,820 --> 00:00:41,440 for several weeks, not knowing what to expect 19 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:43,010 when she returned to the area. 20 00:00:43,010 --> 00:00:46,730 - It's very heartbreaking to see all these people 21 00:00:46,730 --> 00:00:49,410 that have still no houses and living in RVs, 22 00:00:49,410 --> 00:00:51,720 still going through the struggles. 23 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:53,790 - [Col. Timothy] A year later, after having lived 24 00:00:53,790 --> 00:00:56,360 in several locations, 25 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:57,940 our home is not yet inhabitable. 26 00:00:57,940 --> 00:01:00,720 - [Brian] Despite his family's home also taking a beating 27 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,640 from Michael's 150 plus miles per hour winds, 28 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,460 Air Force Civil Engineer Center Deputy Director Colonel 29 00:01:06,460 --> 00:01:09,690 Timothy Dodge continues to lead nearly 500 AFCEC 30 00:01:09,690 --> 00:01:11,260 Tyndall personnel daily. 31 00:01:11,260 --> 00:01:13,200 - Job number one, once the storm passed, 32 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,040 was the accountability of our people, 33 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:16,740 making sure everybody was okay. 34 00:01:16,740 --> 00:01:18,550 From the very start, the day after the storm 35 00:01:18,550 --> 00:01:20,540 when we were putting generators in for facilities here 36 00:01:20,540 --> 00:01:22,620 on Tyndall Air Force Base out of (mumbles) 37 00:01:22,620 --> 00:01:23,800 all the way 'til today 38 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:25,610 we have various work schedules 39 00:01:25,610 --> 00:01:27,420 to make sure that folks can rebuild their homes 40 00:01:27,420 --> 00:01:29,443 and to continue that mission and continue in AF 41 00:01:29,443 --> 00:01:30,276 (bomb sounds) 42 00:01:30,276 --> 00:01:32,730 and AFCEC getting what commanders in the field need. 43 00:01:34,630 --> 00:01:36,270 - [Brian Stahl] We were not in this building, thankfully, 44 00:01:36,270 --> 00:01:38,190 because it did sustain a lot of damage. 45 00:01:38,190 --> 00:01:42,064 - [Brian] As of early October 2018, Brian Stahl's office was 46 00:01:42,064 --> 00:01:43,100 in this building. 47 00:01:43,100 --> 00:01:45,180 As the deputy base civil engineer 48 00:01:45,180 --> 00:01:47,020 for the 325th fighter wing, 49 00:01:47,020 --> 00:01:49,530 but on the 10th, he was a member of a small team 50 00:01:49,530 --> 00:01:51,960 of around 60 people who rode out the storm 51 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,670 along with Base Commander Colonel Brian Laidlaw 52 00:01:54,670 --> 00:01:56,902 in the Base Emergency Operations Center. 53 00:01:56,902 --> 00:01:59,040 - I would compare it to being under 54 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,640 rocket attack in a war zone in Afghanistan. 55 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:04,620 It was a pretty scary time. 56 00:02:04,620 --> 00:02:05,890 Even though the building we were in 57 00:02:05,890 --> 00:02:08,090 was 24-inch thick concrete walls, 58 00:02:08,090 --> 00:02:10,010 the building was vibrating. 59 00:02:10,010 --> 00:02:13,070 At one point, there was an antenna tower that fell 60 00:02:13,070 --> 00:02:14,980 and ripped the roof membrane. 61 00:02:14,980 --> 00:02:17,150 And when that happened, we had water that came pouring 62 00:02:17,150 --> 00:02:20,201 into the second floor of the building where we were. 63 00:02:20,201 --> 00:02:21,250 Some of the big gusts that you got, 64 00:02:21,250 --> 00:02:23,810 you could feel the pressure drops in your ears. 65 00:02:23,810 --> 00:02:26,620 - [Brian] Literally from within the eye of the storm, 66 00:02:26,620 --> 00:02:28,610 he now serves as the deputy director 67 00:02:28,610 --> 00:02:29,990 of the Tyndall Hurricane Michael 68 00:02:29,990 --> 00:02:32,140 Recovery Program Management Office, 69 00:02:32,140 --> 00:02:34,340 which is spearheading the rebuild. 70 00:02:34,340 --> 00:02:36,070 - Five years from now, 10 years from now, 71 00:02:36,070 --> 00:02:37,457 people are gonna look back at this and go, 72 00:02:37,457 --> 00:02:39,617 "Wow, Tyndall is so much better now 73 00:02:39,617 --> 00:02:41,370 "than it was before the storm." 74 00:02:41,370 --> 00:02:43,400 But, again, it is all because of the efforts 75 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:45,350 of all of the people that were here. 76 00:02:45,350 --> 00:02:47,500 - And we're just gonna get through this and just be stronger 77 00:02:47,500 --> 00:02:48,530 than we were before. 78 00:02:48,530 --> 00:02:50,200 - [Brian] Reporting for the Air Force Installation 79 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:51,620 and Mission Support Center, 80 00:02:51,620 --> 00:02:52,957 I'm Brian Goddin.