Part of the facilities of the National Museum of United States Air Force (USAF), in the state of Ohio, were seriously damaged by the alleged age of a tornado on Wednesday morning (28). The phenomenon hit a gate, a hangar and at least two preserved fighter planes were also hit.
According to Colonel Travis Pond, commander of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where the museum is located, the phenomenon did not cause any injuries, but the damage to the infrastructure is still being assessed. Damage is concentrated on the south side of Area B.
According to the official, efforts are focused on assessing damage and safety at the site. “I cannot speak highly enough of our law enforcement, fire departments and civil engineers for their quick response and hard work to assess the damage and determine a path forward to restore operations as quickly as possible,” said the colonel in a note.
Restoration hangar 4 is one of the buildings most damaged by the tornado. Images released by the museum on Flickr show two damaged planes, a T-33 Thunderbird and a TF-104 Starfighter; it is also possible to see a damaged engine in the yard in front of the hangar, which is seen with broken doors and windows.
Montgomery County was hit by strong winds and heavy rain on Wednesday, which downed trees and power lines and damaged homes in the city of Riverside, which neighbors the air base. Authorities confirmed the age of a tornado in Licking, about a two-hour drive from the base, although the National Weather Service is still investigating whether a tornado was actually responsible for the damage in Wright-Patterson and Riverside.
Built in 1917, the Wright-Patterson base is 16 miles from Dayton and was used by the pioneering Wright Brothers to test their aircraft. Today the site is controlled by the US Air Force Materiel Command and in addition to housing the aerospace museum (one of the largest in the world), it is also headquarters for units of the Army, Marines, Space Force, Life Cycle Management Center of the Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory and other important organizations.
Other USAF bases have already suffered even more serious damage due to climate events. That's why Air Force command has been exploring ways to integrate climate resilience into its installations and engineering plans, building infrastructure designed to handle escalating weather systems.
With information from Air & Space Forces Magazine
