Whitney Downard / The Meridian StarBrig. Gen. Kenneth P. Ekman, left, the vice commander of the Air Forces Northern Command, based at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, speaks to 186th Wing Commander Col. Ed Evans at Key Field on Friday. Ekman and 20 others from Tyndall relocated to Key Field to continue their operations without interruption since Hurricane Michael damaged the Tyndall base. 

The various branches of military service collaborate regularly with various federal agencies to practice for the worst imaginable scenarios, preparing for a day many hope will never come. 

Col. Robert Parker, the commander for the 186th Air Operations Group, recalled that spring training this week when Key Field welcomed the Air Force’s Northern Command (AFNORTH) to Meridian from Tyndall Air Force Base, located just outside Panama City, Florida, as Hurricane Michael struck the Southeast. 

“We practice working with our national partners,” Parker said. “In the spring, we had a hurricane scenario (simulation) in the eastern U.S.”

Because of this, Parker and the commanders of the 186th already knew their counterparts from the Tyndall Air Force Base, including Brig. Gen. Kenneth P. Ekman, the vice commander of the 1st Air Force and Air Force’s Northern Command. 

“That’s why we practice it,” Parker said. “It’s a good thing we did because we’re using it here.”

In order to continue their mission without interruption, Ekman and 30 others, some pilots, moved to Key Field, avoiding the “widespread catastrophic damage” reported at the Tyndall Air Force Base. 

In the operations building, personnel, intelligence, logistics and operations monitored the storm, preparing to respond at the request of a state agency sapped of its resources. 

“They left their families in evacuated areas and performed flawlessly,” Ekman said, praising those from Florida. “It was a real comfort to come to the 186th and be among friends.”

State-level resources haven’t been overwhelmed, meaning that the effort of AFNORTH will wind down upon mission accomplishment. 

“The states have done a great job. They haven’t needed our federal military support and that’s good news… We wind down as the state demands wind down,” Ekman said. “While we stand ready for what we do in surge mode – we’re already sending people home.”

With Florida taking the hardest hit, an initial assessment at the Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida found roof damage to “nearly every home” on the base, with commanders recommending Tyndall residents and personnel stay in their safe locations away from the base.

The dedication of the 20 from Tyndall impressed Parker, who admired how the separate units came together.

“I’m certainly most impressed with the 186th men and women. It’s great to see the National Guard come together and pull together for the good of our nation,” Parker said. “Watching (those from AFNORTH), seeing their entire hometown destroyed and they’re still able to focus is very impressive.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.