US military bases in the path of Category 5 Hurricane Milton took immediate action before the storm made landfall, Military.com reported.
According to the latest storm information from the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Milton is an extremely dangerous storm as it approaches the west coast of Florida and is expected to make landfall on October 9.
Milton became a hurricane on October 6 and rapidly strengthened to a Category 5 super typhoon on October 7. Its maximum sustained winds near the center were 250 km/h and it could even strengthen to a Category 6 super typhoon with gusts of up to 320 km/h - a level not yet on the Saffir-Simpson 5-level hurricane scale.
Major General Pat Ryder - Pentagon spokesman - said the US Ministry of National Defense is monitoring the storm's path and preparing for all possibilities.
"The federal government, including the Department of National Defense, is prepared to respond to Hurricane Milton, including considering all possible contingencies and clearing search and rescue routes," Ryder said, adding that the Pentagon is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency "to prepare for potential impacts as the storm makes landfall."
MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa was directly in the path of Hurricane Milton, according to the National Weather Service. Base officials ordered widespread evacuations on Oct. 7.
Most base services, schools and other resources also closed on October 8.
MacDill evacuated 12 KC-135 aircraft to McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas, said Rose Riley, an Air Force spokeswoman.
The 482nd Fighter Squadron at Homestead Air Reserve Base south of Miami moved seven F-16 fighter jets to San Antonio, Texas.
The US Navy also announced it was taking precautions ahead of the storm.
Three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville on the northeast coast of Florida — the USS Donald Cook, USS Thomas Hudner and USS Lassen — were moved on October 7.
Other US warships at Naval Station Mayport will be moored at “bad weather anchorage”. Aircraft will also be evacuated or stored at the base.
Last week, in the wake of Hurricane Helene's devastation, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mobilized 1,000 active-duty troops to assist with recovery, cleanup, and rescue efforts.
The Pentagon is deploying 500 additional troops equipped with advanced technology, such as drones that support search and rescue operations, to areas already in need.
As of October 7, more than 6,000 National Guard troops, along with hundreds of amphibious vehicles and helicopters, have been mobilized in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
