PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Six months after Hurricane Michael ravished Tyndall Air Force Base, workers are still rebuilding and trying to recover from the powerful storm.
The airmen there say they live and work by one motto.
“Our mission and story here is that the mission must go on,” said the command chief, Master Sgt. Craig Williams. "I must say, as of last month, we are flying more sorties we did before the storm.”
Hurricane Michael's 130 mph winds damaged nearly every building on base and a half-year later several of the dorms are still unlivable. Airmen are staying temporarily in tents.
The post office is missing part of its roof and is filled with debris, and many buildings are still covered with tarps.
Mountains of debris from the extensive damage have been collected after the storm.
Williams said most of the buildings are repairable.
"Our airmen are resilient and they’re focused on accomplishing the mission,” Williams said.
The Air Force wants to rebuild the base as a base of the future while incorporating a campuslike feel.
But in the meantime, the missions will continue to go on.