Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield supports aircraft evacuation during Tropical Storm Isaias

By Michael StrasserAugust 11, 2020

Fort Drum airfield supports aircraft evacuation during storm
An evacuation order due to Tropical Storm Isaias prompted the emergency staging of four C-17 aircraft on Aug. 4-5 from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to Fort Drum's Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield. (Fort Drum DPTMS Photo) (Photo Credit: Fort Drum DPTMS Photo) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Aug. 11, 2020) – While 10th Combat Aviation Brigade Soldiers were returning home last week from deployment overseas, other aviators were taking temporary shelter at Fort Drum’s Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield.

An evacuation order due to Tropical Storm Isaias prompted the emergency staging of four C-17 aircraft on Aug. 4-5 from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. According to 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs, the support from Fort Drum protected the aircraft from potentially damaging winds while preserving their combat airlift capabilities.

Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield (WSAAF) is a pre-coordinated refuge location for Dover’s C-17s during hurricanes and tropical storms. In addition to those flown to WSAAF, other aircraft went to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Kelly Air Force Base in Texas.

Lloyd Dropps, Aviation Division chief with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, said that it has been several years since WSAAF supported the last hurricane evacuation event.

“That aside, we run through scenarios every year as tropical storm and hurricane type weather events begin to threaten military installations near the eastern coast line,” he said. “The bottom line is that we’re thankful that we can provide this level of service and support.”