Reports indicate the installation experienced minimal damage and resumed normal operations the morning after the storm passed.īut the base may not be so lucky next time. Kings Bay seems to have dodged the worst. Homes and business were destroyed, hundreds of thousands were affected by power outages, schools closed, the list goes on. While Idalia’s eventual downgrade from a Category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm meant the worst devastation was avoided, the storm-and flooding and storm surge left in its wake-still wreaked havoc. And civilian employees and dependents were ordered to evacuate according to local authorities’ guidance. On-base facilities, including the nursery, health clinic, and commissary, were closed. Four nuclear submarines undergoing maintenance had to be tightly tethered with heavy weather moorings. In anticipation of Idalia, Kings Bay operations and personnel were seriously curtailed.

At a cost of $5 billion, the base is still rebuilding, making significant efforts to ensure it’s resilient to the most powerful storms. Take Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, where a Category 5 hurricane caused catastrophic damage in 2018. This isn’t the first time the military has dealt with powerful storms and their devastating aftermath. Military bases along the southeastern coastline battened down the hatches, preparing their facilities, systems, and personnel for the worst. As the storm barreled near, state and local authorities did their best to prepare, declaring states of emergency and issuing evacuation orders.

Inside an ohio class submarine