NAS Kingsville Gives "All Clear" After Hurricane Dolly

INGLESIDE, Texas (July 22, 2008) Mine countermeasures ships are in a modified Mediterranean moor at homeport Naval Station Ingleside preparing for Hurricane Dolly. When in the heavy weather moor, the ships are pulled away from the pier, "nested" together and moored to a plate at the bottom of the basin. (U.S. Navy photo by Michael Antoine.)

CARIBBEAN SEA (July 23, 2008) A GOES-12 infrared satellite image provided by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, Calif., showing the status of Hurricane Dolly at approximately 4:45 am EST. Dolly is a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, with maximum sustained winds near 85 mph and higher gusts. The storm is approaching the U.S./Mexico border near Brownsville, Texas, and is expected to strengthen before making landfall. (U.S. Navy photo.)

On the Home Front:

KINGSVILLE, Texas (NNS) -- The year's second named hurricane made landfall around noon July 23 north of Brownsville, Texas, about 125 miles southeast of Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville.

Hurricane Dolly was upgraded to a category 2 hurricane just prior to making landfall, bringing heavy rain, strong tropical storm force winds and tornado warnings as far north as Corpus Christi and Portland. South Padre Island took the brunt of the storm.

NAS Kingsville began preparing for the storm July 18 as Emergency Management Director Chief Air Traffic Controller (AW) Mike Garcia began coordinating the air station's post-storm preparations.

"We were watching the storm very closely as it developed in the Gulf of Mexico. We didn't know until mid-day on [July 22] that we would not be in the direct path of the storm, so we had to take our normal precautionary measures. As it turned out, the storm was upgraded to a [category] 2 and moved a bit to the north of Brownsville just before making landfall, so we ended up getting a lot of rain and heavy wind from the outer bands of the storm."

Garcia said the base was able to escape any major damage due to the joint preparation efforts of all base commands and activities.

"Every command, activity and department followed their requirements for pre-storm prep. Air operations placed sandbags around the entrance to buildings and put window shutters on the main building. Public works put plywood over the windows at the Branch Health Clinic, and Morale, Welfare and Recreation personnel and Navy housing officials put out sand bags and stowed away equipment and potential missile hazards."

L-3 Vertex personnel moved 77 of Training Air Wing 2's 105 T-45 Goshawks into hangars to prevent damage from heavy winds and rain and secured in place an additional 13 aircraft under the protective canopies on the NAS Kingsville tarmac. The other 15 aircraft departed the base early July 22 on a scheduled weapons detachment in El Centro, Calif.

NAS Kingsville Commanding Officer Capt. Phil Waddingham set the air station in modified condition of readiness (COR) 3 early July 22 and kept the base in that condition throughout the storm. The next day was designated as essential personnel and command-directed only, and all base facilities were closed.

"Even though we were not in the projected direct path of Hurricane Dolly, I thought it was prudent to proceed with caution. With landfall near Brownsville, we knew we would still be on the outer band of the storm and would see strong tropical storm-force winds, heavy rain, and possible flooding. My main concern was for our people.

"I didn't want our folks, especially those who reside in Corpus Christi and other remote locations, to be on the roadways until the storm threat has passed and the roads have been cleared for safe passage."

Base personnel returned to work July 24, and the command's assessment team made a visual tour of the base to evaluate any damage. When they found nothing noteworthy to report, they checked back in with the emergency operations center and Waddingham issued the "all clear." The base moved back to COR 5, the normal COR during hurricane season, early July 24.

As far as storm damage was concerned, some flooding was reported in low-lying areas in Kingsville, Corpus Christi and South Padre Island suffered damages to buildings and hotels. Two tornadoes were reported in San Patricia county. Fortunately, Dolly proved only to be a reality check for NAS Kingsville this time around. The storm, however, also served as a wake-up call.

"With three months left to go in the 2008 hurricane season I hope that all base personnel will take a hard look at their hurricane plans and procedures," Waddingham said. "Preparation is the key, [not to mention] the very best way to prevent personal injuries and property damage. My advice to all is to be prepared."

(Story by Jon Gagne, Naval Air Station Kingsville Public Affairs.)

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