Air Force comes to aid of wind storm victims

  • Published
  • By Derek Kaufman
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Despite valiant efforts by regional energy providers, an estimated 38,000 customers in the Dayton region remained without electrical power today, nine days after a powerful wind storm blew through Ohio's Miami Valley. Air Force officials here decided to get creative in an effort to assist base people with no electricity.

Col. Bradley Spacy, 88th Air Base Wing commander, suggested to his housing office Sept. 16 that vacant military family housing be made available as temporary shelter for base-affiliated people still without electricity at their homes.

A number of military family housing units declared excess in the base's Green Acres and Pine Estates communities in Area C were vacant and initially considered. Unfortunately all utilities to those structures had already been shut off in anticipation of their planned near-term demolition.

So base housing office director Terry Mathews turned to the people who manage the Properties at Wright Field, the company that oversees Wright-Patterson's two privatized housing developments. Between the Prairies at Wright Field, formerly known as Page Manor, and the Woods at Wright Field, the company manages 1,536 housing units. Only 1,325 were occupied, along with about another 50 being prepared to accept new residents.

The company immediately made 100 vacant homes available for base Airmen, civilian and contractor employees who still had no power at home.

"Col. Spacy asked us Tuesday, Sept. 16 to see if we could help. A base-wide email went out that day advising the availability of vacant housing and by 9 p.m. we had 80 inquiries," Mathews said.

Tonya Patrick, resident relations manager for the Properties at Wright Field and her team quickly went to work to ready to accept families displaced by the storm. That same day, the first five families moved in.

To date, 85 families have taken advantage of a comfortable home convenient to Wright-Patt with both power and running hot and cold water. Patrick said families moved out as power at their homes in neighboring counties was restored. Other families moved in. Currently 72 families are temporarily living in units at the Properties at Wright Field with three more families expected to move in.

"Most of our temporary guests are delighted just to have lights and a hot shower," Ms. Patrick said. She added they typically brought in cots or inflatable air mattresses and portable television sets.

Beavercreek resident Racyne Digges a civilian budget analyst for the Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate, gave birth Sept. 13 to her third child Wade at Kettering Medical Center, the day before the wind storm hit. When she was released to go home from the hospital, her neighborhood was still without power. She and her family learned of the availability of temporary housing at the Prairies at Wright Field and moved in Sept. 18.

The vacant units are not furnished, but in addition to working utilities, they offer a range, refrigerator, dishwasher and garbage disposal.

For a mom with a newborn, just being able to warm bath water, sterilize a bottle or change a diaper under the lights has been a blessing, Digges said.

"We are ever so grateful," said Digges, who also serves in the Air Force Reserve. "This is a great place and it really was very nice of them to open the Prairies to people without power."

Digges went back to her home in Beavercreek Sept. 22. Although she and some neighbors still are without power, a friend whose electricity was restored let her family borrow his large generator.

"Tonight, this mom gets to sleep in her own bed," she said with a grin.

The temporary housing was made available at no charge. Prospective residents were briefed and signed a form accepting the home for 7-10 days or at management discretion if needed for a longer period. Then they were issued the keys to their new temporary home away from home.

"They are all very grateful that we've been able to assist, Patrick said. "The ability to cook a hot meal and not have to eat out at a restaurant can be very comforting."

The Prairies at Wright Field includes both recently constructed homes, as well as homes originally built in the 1950s as military family housing, which have undergone a number of interior and exterior upgrades. Patrick said the older units have very versatile floor plans and offer slightly more square footage than the new, but both are very popular with residents.

"Proudly serving those who serve is more than just a motto for us," Patrick said. "It's also our commitment. We offer a great value, quality homes and a great community to live."

The Properties at Wright Field provides housing for base Airmen and Wright-Patt employees. A limited number of units are available for lease to eligible people who are not military-affiliated. For more information call (937) 253-6009, ext. 101.

"We had the excess capacity so I believe this was the right thing to do," said Col. Spacy. "We really appreciate the management company stepping up to make this happen for our people in need."

Air Force generator provides gift of life

When the remnants of Hurricane Ike knocked out power, a lot of people were in need, none more than some 85 patients needing regular kidney dialysis treatment at the Dayton Regional Dialysis Center in Centerville, Ohio.

Dave Frank, chief of emergency management for the 88 Air Base Wing received the request for a 200 kilowatt generator when the Centerville center's power went out. The request - one of several the base received from area medical centers - came through the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management.

"The emergency Defense Support to Civil Authorities request came to us after Montgomery County had already exhausted other possibilities of immediate support from neighboring counties, the State of Ohio, and local contractors already overwhelmed with similar requests," Frank said.

While requests by emergency management agencies are normally routed through FEMA and the U.S. Northern Command for tasking, the Air Force empowers installation commanders to provide military support to civil authorities to save lives and relieve human suffering, and when resources can be made available without adverse impact to the military mission, Frank said.

Montgomery County Emergency Management provided transport of the generator, which enabled the center to provide the life sustaining treatment until commercial power was restored. 

It was just one example of Air Force support to the community, the colonel said, adding the storm enabled emergency management agencies the opportunity to familiarize requesters with the process for requesting support that will yield the fastest results.

"We were able to quickly staff the request and provide the center with a generator to assist their patients," Col. Spacy said. "We certainly can't honor every request, but this was a unique circumstance where conditions were imminently serious to enable us to rapidly respond."