In brief
- Hurricane Isaias struck Gulf Coast late Friday
- Express, Burger King damaged at Eglin AFB
- Most other affected BXs and PXs reopened by Saturday
Gulf Coast Exchanges have resumed normal operations after Hurricane Isaias struck the coast late Friday night, causing store closures and some damage Friday and Saturday.
The hurricane made landfall as a Category 2 storm outside of Destin, Florida, about 10:30 p.m. Eastern/9:30 p.m. Central on Friday. High winds, flooding and downed trees were reported.
The Eglin AFB Exchange, near Destin, was through early afternoon Sunday, when all facilities reopened except for the Eglin East Gate Express, where gas pumps were operating but the interior of the store was closed.
“For the most part Eglin fared very well,” said Eglin General Manager Dale Killip. “There were trees and utility lines down across the installation. Cellphone towers in the area were damaged.”
Also damaged was the Eglin Burger King, where roof debris was found in the side yard, the metal trim was pulled off the front entrance, valance tops were blown off and drive-thru menu boards were waterlogged. Although there was no sign of water damage in the ceiling, there was water throughout the restaurant, apparently blown in between door frames during the storm. Power outages affected food-storage temperatures.
The East Gate Express canopy sustained minor damage, and one fuel dispenser had a leak that was cleaned up, with help from the Eglin AFB Fire Department.
The Burger King and East Gate Express had both reopened by Tuesday.
Killip said the Eglin main store had puddles of water inside, but otherwise suffered no damage. There was no damage at the food court, although power outages affected food storage.
Killip is also general manager of the Exchange at nearby Hurlburt Field, where the power grid was not back online until Monday. The Express reopened Monday; all other facilities reopened Tuesday.
At the Tyndall AFB Exchange, roughly 90 miles east of Eglin, the main store and Express reopened by early Saturday afternoon. The storm also knocked down trees and power lines at Tyndall.
The Fort Rucker Exchange, roughly 90 miles north of Eglin, delayed opening till 10 a.m. Saturday. Power outages and downed trees were reported at the base, but the BX escaped damage.
Exchanges at Keesler AFB, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; Maxwell AFB, in Montgomery, Alabama; and Redstone Arsenal, in northern Alabama, reported no major damage and operated on regular hours on Saturday.
During hurricane season, the Exchange boosts inventory of essential supplies including batteries, flashlights, generators and bottled water at its distribution centers to ensure high-demand products can be deployed to PXs and BXs quickly. The Exchange’s Disaster Support Group—made up of a team of leaders from around the globe—keeps a close watch on weather developments to effectively respond to storms.
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