Military installations in Florida and up the Atlantic Coast are starting to return to normal after Hurricane Idalia tore through the southeastern U.S., but work for thousands of National Guardsmen on state orders is just beginning.
Spokespeople for the Navy told Military.com that commanders in the area were reporting “no significant damage to facilities or ships,” and bases in Jacksonville and Mayport, Florida, were returning to normal operations by Thursday afternoon.
Rose Riley, a spokeswoman for the Air Force, told Military.com that the service has had reports of “minimal structural damage and some areas without power” but no casualties across six bases in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Read Next: Not Just Silt: West Point's Time Capsule Actually Contained Some Historical Artifacts
Lt. Caroline Leya, a spokeswoman for the Navy, said that planes that were flown out of the area are set to start returning Thursday afternoon and ships that set sail would be returning to port starting Friday.
Meanwhile, Joint Task Force Florida — a team that includes the Florida National Guard — has positioned 5,344 Guardsmen, 2,400 high water vehicles, 14 helicopters, 23 watercraft, and “Red Horse” heavy construction teams around the state to “provide responsive, sustained support to reduce suffering and assist in the restoration of critical services,” the Pentagon's chief spokesman, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, told reporters at a…
