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The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (FFO) was hit with a tornado in the early morning on Wednesday, damaging a hangar and several buildings.
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio released a statement on Wednesday, reporting that the National Museum of the USAF's Restoration Hangar 4, Gate 22B (I-675 Gate) and several buildings on Area B sustained damage after a suspected early-morning tornado touched down. The 88th Civil Engineer Group, first responders and base safety personnel are assessing the damage. Gate 22B was temporarily closed but is not back to normal operations at the time of publication.Photos of tornado damage from FFO's Flickr page
"Our initial assessment from this morning's storm is the damage is isolated to the southern side of Area B," said Col. Travis Pond, 88th Air Base Wing and installation commander. "Our initial focus right now is on safety and damage assessment. I can't speak highly enough about our security forces, Fire Department and civil engineer Airmen for their quick response and hard work to assess damage and determine a path forward for restoring operations as quickly as possible."
Photos show the serious destruction left by the tornado on buildings, aircraft and other structures on the base. The National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio confirmed that a tornado touched down in the Riverside area in Montgomery County on Wednesday morning, continuing to Green County before weakening. Additional information like wind speeds and track data should be available later Wednesday evening.More photos of damage
Storms and severe wind and weather are making their way across parts of the country, with a Cessna flipped over on the runway at the Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR) on Monday after a strong gust of wind.RELATED STORY:Strong wind flips Cessna 172 in Wyoming