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Grand Forks AFB supports Air Force aircraft and crews evacuated from storm areas

  • Published
  • By Tim Flack
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Grand Forks personnel worked around the clock over the weekend to house 24 aircraft and more than 100 personnel who evacuated from two Air Force bases in advance of a deadly storm system that spawned multiple tornadoes across the Midwest.

Wing leadership gathered Friday to start preparing for the first wave of eight aircraft inbound from Offutt AFB, Neb. Additional requests came in from McConnell Air Force Base, Kan.

Key factors in the planning sessions included where and how to house the aircrews, transportation for them when they arrived, and meals and other support to provide top-notch assistance in a time of emergency. The 69th Reconnaissance Group - a tenant unit on Grand Forks - offered the use of their ground equipment to aid the effort.

Col. Scott Rizer, 319th Air Base Wing Vice Commander, stressed the need for a cohesive plan between all the players and made safety the top priority.

Within an hour of the first meeting, the 319th Force Support Squadron had set up a Personnel Deployment Function line in Bldg. 607 to welcome the arriving crews. The PDF allowed Grand Forks to track all incoming personnel on the multiple missions, assign them lodging, and provide them transportation.

The first crew to arrive late Friday afternoon - comprised of Capt. Tyler Schoen, 1st Lt. Stephen Warner and 1st Lt. Tim Kenny - said they were impressed and surprised by the welcome they found.

"Everyone's been super helpful," Schoen said during a safety briefing before heading to his lodging.

On Saturday, 16 aircraft from McConnell began arriving in waves. According to local news report, a tornado touched down in Wichita just hours later, damaging their home station.

"The 22nd Air Refueling Wing, Active duty side, has sustained minor damages to fences, power lines and trees," according to a statement posted on the Wing's Facebook page early Sunday afternoon. "There are no reported injuries and no damage to aircraft."

More than 100 tornadoes were reported across the Midwest, and at least five people were killed and two dozen injured in Oklahoma, according to news reports.

The visiting aircrews began returning to their home stations Sunday morning.