Photo By Christopher Fletcher | Wildlife flushed from Tropical Cyclone Debby appears Tuesday outside the Fort...... read more read more
FORT STEWART, Ga. — Tropical Cyclone Debby produced minimal impacts on the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield installations early this week.
Debby made landfall in Florida early Monday morning and pushed along coastal Georgia, bringing heavy winds and downpours. When Debby first hit the Big Bend coast of Florida, it was classified as a Category 1 hurricane.
Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield was shut down both Monday and Tuesday in preparation for the storm, leaving only key and essential personnel on site.
Col. Marc Austin, Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield garrison commander, addressed the key initiatives concerning the installation.
“Our priorities are taking care of our people, our infrastructure, and ensuring clear communication across the installations,” Austin said.
On Monday, the garrison and 3rd Infantry Division command staff coordinated efforts to safeguard life, health, and property. Based on the senior commander’s direction and in coordination with the garrison commander, a 24-hour operation was established Monday and Tuesday in the Installation Emergency Operations Center.
The primary purpose of the EOC is to support the senior and garrison commanders in decision-making for the installation by providing a common operating picture. This helps them make informed decisions affecting soldiers, civilians, contractors, and family members working on the installation.
Eric Waters, an emergency operations officer with the Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Garrison, gave insight into what he and his team were doing in the EOC.
“We've been responsible for tracking the storm, utilizing our system of record to keep up with the information on the ground as we have people out there,” Waters said. “We also provide that information up the chain of command and out to the people using our mass warning notification systems.”
Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Ely Capindo and Travis Mobley, deputy to the garrison commander, performed a health and welfare check of the installation in preparation for Tropical Cyclone Debby early Monday morning. During this time, they visited a child development center, Holbrook Pond campground, and several other locations to ensure the installation was secure and individuals had proper safety precautions readily available.
Throughout Monday night and Tuesday morning, the storm weakened more than forecasted. The installation sustained heavy rain, a few flooded locations, and some downed trees. Five families requested relocation from Wilson Acres subdivision on Hunter Army Airfield due to flooding and were placed in the installation's lodging. Long-term camping residents from Lott’s Island campground on Hunter Army Airfield and Fort Stewart’s Holbrook Pond campground were also relocated Monday.
Maj. Gen. Christopher R. Norrie, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, highlighted the essential workers Tuesday afternoon as the installation was in the eye of the storm.
“Great work, great collaboration, and great communication across the team,” he said. “You all have done a phenomenal job maintaining communications and keeping our Soldiers and families safe, informed, and aware.”
Tropical Cyclone Debby is expected to continue to impact Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield until Thursday night. Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield will have a delayed start of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Commanders are given discretion for Soldiers reporting based on life, health, and safety considerations. Contact your chain of command or first-line supervisor for reporting instructions.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2024 15:22 |
| Story ID: | 477925 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 131 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Troops weather the storm: Fort Stewart-Hunter’s response to Debby, by Bryan Lunn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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