Tinker initially set up an emergency operations center and several assistance programs in a matter of hours, sent troops and firefighters to the scene and arranged contingencies in the event more help was needed. Lt. Col. Rick “Rico” Johns, 72nd Mission Support Group deputy commander and nighttime EOC director, said relief efforts went off without a hitch.

“It’s been outstanding,” he said. “We train for this all the time. Training for a tornado is no different than training for a terrorist attack or airplane crash. Everybody has been great; they know what they’re doing and everybody, including civilians, has just jumped in to get this done.”

Col. Julie Boit, 72 MSG commander and EOC director, commented, “Everyone involved was absolutely outstanding and incredibly professional,” she said. “They made the mission happen and did whatever it took to figure things out and help our amazing local community. It was inspiring.”

The path of the tornado in Moore, Okla., as viewed from the air on May 22, 2013.
Photo by U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Bradley C. Church

Johns said as the tornado, with its winds exceeding 200 mph, swept through Moore, he watched the news with several 72nd Air Base Wing senior leaders, knowing a lot of Airmen and civilians would be affected by the outcome.

Immediately, they stood up the emergency operations center and assessed the situation. After making contact with the state EOC, which stood up May 19 after an EF-4 tornado struck Shawnee, Tinker personnel started gathering and organizing equipment.

Damage from the tornado in Moore, Okla., as viewed from the air on May 22, 2013.
Photo by U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Bradley C. Church

Johns said Airmen from the 552nd Air Control Wing and Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex gassed up 35 diesel-generated lights for search-and-rescue operations. Contractors brought in flatbed trucks to transport the lights. By 11 p.m., the lights were set up at Plaza Towers Elementary School on Southwest 11th Street in Moore.

During the night and the next morning, 300 Airmen from the 552 ACW performed a foreign-object damage walk along the runways on base. Additionally, a damage assessment was performed on base. One building lost water, while several other buildings lost power.

At 8 a.m. on May 21, the EOC sent 43 Airmen from the 552 ACW to Moore to help Oklahoma National Guardsmen at traffic checkpoints. At 12:30 a.m. May 22, they returned to Tinker. Upon return, several Airmen met with the traumatic stress response team to help them cope with devastation they saw first-hand.

Tinker Fire Department sent two fire trucks, a heavy rescue vehicle and 13 firefighters the first day, and maintained a strong presence throughout the rescue effort. In addition to the 13 firefighters operating Tinker rescue apparatus, several firefighters from Tinker assigned to Oklahoma Task Force One, Urban Search and Rescue Team operated with the unified team performing technical rescue operations. Firefighters performed expertly under incredibly stressful conditions at Briarwood and Plaza Towers elementary schools as well as clearing numerous housing areas, looking for persons trapped in the rubble.

Tinker also sent down vehicles with magnetic strips attached to the bottom that help clear the road of harmful debris. The base had four on hand, but quickly came up with two more.

“Thanks to the ingenuity of the folks over in the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex they were able to fasten some magnetic strips we had on to other vehicles and we were able to improvise and provide two more, six total,” Boit said. “They really appreciated those.”

Should the need have arisen, the EOC put aside several 400-gallon “water buffalo” trailers and portable outhouses. There were also 25 security forces squadron members and four military working dogs given the all-clear to perform search-and-rescue operations.

Damage from the tornado in Moore, Okla., as viewed from the air on May 22, 2013.
Photo by U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Bradley C. Church

While the EOC planned for the logistics of a recovery effort, the Airman and Family Readiness Center personnel developed a strategy to help the affected families. It is estimated 140 Tinker families had their homes destroyed while nearly 200 additional Tinker family homes are damaged to the point where their occupants are staying elsewhere.

To help those residents, Tinker developed the “Adopt-a-Family” program which allows Tinker personnel to house an affected family.

“The program was made up on the fly at about 10 p.m. on the day of the storm,” Johns said. “More than 105 people have offered up their houses and a couple of people have taken them up on it.”

That same night, Johns said base personnel set up the Gerrity Fitness and Sports Center multi-purpose room with 40 cots and sleeping bags, 20 tables and 50 chairs for anyone who might need a place to stay. Other base gyms were kept open in case people needed to shower.

“Taking care of our military and civilian Airmen and their families is our top priority,” Johns said. “We also started a 100 percent accountability, which is to physically contact every single person in every single squadron and group.”

The EOC and A&FRC also set up the Emergency Family Assistance Center, which offers the aid and assistance of the chaplain, Air Force Aid Society to allot loans, medical personnel, transportation, and pet issues to Airmen and civilians affected by the storm.

“It’s been so successful that we had the 72nd Air Base Wing Communications Directorate come in and set up extra phone lines, because the one was completely jammed,” Johns said.

Despite the EOC and A&FRC’s efforts, the community has asked if it can help through donations. Johns said donations are accepted and stored at a large warehouse within the 3rd Combat Communications Group’s complex. Depending on need, items are given to Airmen or are trucked to Moore.

Johns said Tinker’s role has since lessened. Their role was only meant for the initial emergency situation and as a placeholder until regional Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel filter in from Dallas. Despite their short-term need, Tinker’s efforts couldn’t have been better, he said.

“The whole base just did it. Everybody knew what they were going to do and there were no complaints whatsoever, even though they were working long hours,” he said. “They just did it.”

Article by by Brandice J. O’Brien, 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Colonel Barlow said the cancellation was driven by recent Air Force sequestration rules that restrict the use of appropriated tax dollars for such things as military air shows, open houses and other similar community outreach events. While sponsors’ donations covered much of the Tattoo costs, tax dollars were still required to complete the event.

“The Tattoo was always envisioned as a way to say ‘thank you’ to the great people of the Miami Valley who are so supportive of our Air Force,” said Col. Cassie Barlow, 88th Air Base Wing commander. “We staged some great programs, but could not have done it without the many community and business sponsors who made monetary and in-kind donations. We say ‘thank you’ to them for all their support over the years.”

“We simply cannot spend tax dollars on such events when sequestration cuts threaten to ground aircraft and furlough our civilian employees,” Colonel Barlow said.

In the meantime, base officials plan to stage a Fourth of July celebration with a fireworks display on the evening of June 28 of this year. The fireworks will be paid for with monies generated from the Base Exchange, on-base restaurants, recreation activities, etc., not tax dollars.

With the exception of 2012, when a sudden storm cancelled Tattoo, the event was held annually since 2005. It featured military and civilian aircraft flyovers, medal presentations to active-duty and veteran service members, patriotic shows by Wright-Patterson’s Air Force Band of Flight and performances by such musical attractions as the Charlie Daniels Band, .38 Special and Lone Star. Annual attendance grew to an estimated 75,000 in recent years.

The fireworks show will be held on the grounds of the National Museum of the United States Air Force and will feature food and beverage booths. More details will be announced later.

On the subject of future Tattoo events, base officials said they will determine at a later date whether a Tattoo will be held in 2014.

Source: 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs, edited for content.

Beavercreek is no stranger to mixed weather in March. In 2008 Beavercreek was hit with a blizzard that forced the cancellation of many activities including Beavercreek High School’s Weekend of Jazz for 2008. And a week following the blizzard in 2008, Beavercreek was hit by some of the biggest flooding in years.

 
(Photo Top) Snow falling in front of the Beavercreek Kroger store. (Above) Snowfall on area roads.

Today’s snowfall will be nowhere near as dramatic as in years past. Only 2-4 inches are expected and a warming trend is coming that will most likely melt it away almost as fast as it arrived. Just the same, it’s a reminder of how fast the weather can change in Beavercreek in March.

Notification of Wright-Patt civilian employees began on February 20 according to information on the base website. Civilian employees were told they would be furloughed an average of one day per week for 22 weeks starting April 25. The furloughs represent a 20% cut in pay for each of the employees affected.

Just 13 days after the furloughs begin on April 25, many of those same civilian employees who live in Beavercreek will be asked to vote on a 1.5% city income tax on the May 7 ballot. The question some wonder is whether employees who have been recently furloughed would vote themselves a tax increase? Also, how will their family members vote? And what about their friends and neighbors?

It’s hard to get exact numbers on how many Wright-Patt civilian employees live in Beavercreek, but in a 2011 survey by Fallon Research commissioned by the city, 14.8% of employed respondents surveyed said they worked at a military base. A city income tax on these employees alone could net the city millions in tax revenue.

In 2011, the annual payroll for civilian employees at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base was nearly 1.5 billion dollars ($1,496,671,100 according to an economic impact study conducted by the base). The same study also reported an additional 387 million dollars in payroll for contracted civilian and business ($387,115,799).

Together the annual payroll for civilian workers associated with the base in 2011 was over 1.8 billion dollars ($1,883,786,879). According to the 2011 survey by Fallon Research, 14.8% of employed city residents surveyed said they worked at a military base. If that number is an indicator of the civilian workers who live in Beavercreek then the city could potentially gain millions from taxing them alone with the proposed new 1.5% city income tax.

No one knows for sure how heavy the sequester may rest on the minds of these voters when they enter the voting booth in May. But considering that in 2011 Wright-Patterson AFB employed over 16,000 civilians and tax increase votes usually win or lose by narrow margins in Beavercreek, it’s safe to say that city income tax advocates may have cause for concern.

Sources: 2011 Economic Impact Analysis Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (See page 6),Citizen Satisfaction Survey for the City of Beavercreek 12/5–12/7/2011 by Fallon Research & Communications, Inc (See question No 31 on the survey). Photos © Beavercreek Post

In a letter to members discussing the purchase of the Lofino (Beavercreek) YMCA, Sperber said, “Many questions have been asked about possible programming and the potential for this to become a Beavercreek Community Center. As of now, we do not have any models for programs in place. However, we, as a coaching staff and board, will start to look at the real possibility of branching out to provide numerous aquatic services to the surrounding areas.”

Sperber concluded his letter with a goal of making the Beavercreek YMCA “a place that will serve the needs of our swim club AND the local community.” The intention, while tentative, is glimmer of hope for the over one thousand members of the Beavercreek YMCA who are losing the facility. Many members say the pool is the main reason they like the facility.

A copy of the entire letter is reprinted below.

Feb 12, 2013

Raider Families,

Yesterday, as a representative of the Dayton Raiders Swim Club, I had the opportunity to sign an agreement with the Greater Dayton YMCA to purchase the Beavercreek Y. This is a tremendous opportunity for our club as we’ve been searching for a facility for a number of years. This facility will function as one of our team training sites and allow us to host our own swim meets and social gatherings. We are in the process of finding a location suitable for an entire team meeting to discuss the process from where we started to where we are now and to where we expect to be. Please look for an email soon detailing this meeting.

Many questions have been asked about possible programming and the potential for this to become a Beavercreek Community Center. As of now, we do not have any models for programs in place. However, we, as a coaching staff and board, will start to look at the real possibility of branching out to provide numerous aquatic services to the surrounding areas. With the financial help of community leaders, corporate entities and private individuals, along with local government, we can make this a place that will serve the needs of our swim club AND the local community.

Chris Sperber
President, Dayton Raiders Swim Club Board

Source: Dayton Raiders website.

The YMCA of Greater Dayton says that the community based programming, which takes place at various Beavercreek community sites, will remain intact. This includes the before/after school childcare programs through the Beavercreek school district, YMCA summer day camp and YMCA youth sports programs.

According to the YMCA of Greater Dayton, over the past four years, the Beavercreek Y has required approximately $1.1 million in subsidy and more than $620,000 worth of capital and equipment improvements since 2009.

Tim Helm, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Dayton said, “Any change in service in the YMCA system is carefully considered and made in the best interest of the entire Y system. While the Beavercreek Y facility is unsustainable and further subsidy of the facility would only jeopardize our services association-wide, we’re pleased to have found a community organization that will put this facility to good use.”

The Dayton Raiders will use the facility as one of its training sites beginning May 1, 2013 for its current and future swim club members.

Kevin Weldon, CEO of the Dayton Raiders said, “We couldn’t be prouder to represent the Dayton swimming community on a local, state and national level. The opportunity to purchase the Beavercreek building from the YMCA is not only a wonderful thing for our organization but we also see this as an opportunity to potentially expand some of our services to continue serving the Beavercreek community.”

Members of the Beavercreek YMCA have been sent information on the facility closure and have been invited to extend their membership at no cost to them at any branch in the association through June 30th. There are ten YMCA of Greater Dayton branches, including the South YMCA in Kettering (approximately six miles away) or the Xenia YMCA (approximately ten miles away).

The Dayton Raiders Swim Club was established in 1958. Since it’s inception it has established itself as a premier USA Swimming club in the greater Miami Valley. The club has a winning history as a Gold Medal USA team currently ranked eighth in the country, developed 12 Olympic trial qualifiers for the 2012 Olympic Trials, won the 2012 Men’s Junior National Championship and the 2012 Men and Women USA Sectional title, holds six AA State Championships and other regional and national awards. It is also recognized as one of the top 30 swim teams in the country for the past 20 years and has a top notch beginner swim team program.

Source: Greater Dayton YMCA press release.