Damage on Wake less than feared, flyover shows (photos))

Air Force Link + Coast Guard Photos ^ | September 5, 2006

[HAL9000]

9/5/2006 - HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii (AFPN) -- A U.S. Coast Guard aerial assessment of Wake Island Sept. 2 showed less destruction than expected from Super Typhoon Ioke, but the Air Force needs people on the ground at Wake to determine the full extent of damage, officials said.

The Coast Guard flew the mission to check for pollution releases. It was flown in a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point in Kapolei, Hawaii. Footage and pictures taken on the mission, which were reviewed by Coast Guard and Air Force officials, don't show any oil spills or hazardous-material releases, the Coast Guard said.

A U.S. Navy ship left Naval Base Guam Sept. 4 for a four-day, 1,500-mile trip to the island. The ship carries members of the Air Force's 36th Contingency Response Group at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sherman from Alameda, Calif., is expected to arrive Sept. 7 with members of the Coast Guard Pacific Strike Team. As part of its mission the team responds to potential oil and hazardous-material spills. The team will conduct a detailed survey of the island and check the integrity of island structures, the Coast Guard said.

Ioke hit Wake Island Aug. 31 with 150 mph winds. All 188 island residents had been evacuated on two C-17 Globemaster IIIs from the 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam AFB.

A Sept. 2 flyover of Wake Island by a U.S. Coast Guard aircrew following the passage of Super Typhoon Ioke shows damage to the civil engineer industrial area. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

A Sept. 2 flyover of Wake Island by a U.S. Coast Guard aircrew following the passage of Super Typhoon Ioke shows damage to two buildings. Ships carrying response forces are due to arrive at the island soon. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

A Coast Guard flyover of Wake Island Sept. 2 shows little apparent damage from Super Typhoon Ioke around the runway and taxiway, officials said. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

[HAL9000]

fyi

[MplsSteve]

Thanks for posting that.

A few days ago, I wondered how badly the island would look after the Typhoon passed over it.

[conservative in nyc]

Thanks for the ping.

The runway looks like it is in pretty good shape, and the buildings look like they have sustained some wind damage, but I would have been shocked if they didn't. Things look fairly good, considering the island just got hit with a Super Typhoon, though.

[Robert A. Cook, PE]

Well, duh! 8<)

Runways and taxiways are genrerally flat and well-paved.

unless beach erosion wiped out whole parts of the lagoon, the runways would be good.

I understand the runway took about 700 flights last year -several of them emergency landings, so for a remote island with no active naval or AF base, it was pretty busy anyway.

[HAL9000]

High-resolution versions of the photos are available at the source link.

[gridlock]

The makers of this particular satellite dish are going to want to use this shot in an advertising campaign.

[Interesting Times]

ping.

[Tulsa Ramjet]

When will cable be back on?

[Ramcat]

What's the state flower of West Virginia doing on Wake Island?

[Rev DMV]

It would be interesting to see a wide view of the whole islan, but overall it looks a lot better than I would have first guessed.

[HAL9000]

The makers of this particular satellite dish are going to want to use this shot in an advertising campaign.

The dish has some damage that was not apparent in the low-res photo. Check the hi-res version.

[blam]

Thanks for the update.

There's more remaining than I expected too.

[kingu]

Wow, incredible that there's not that much damage considering it supposedly caught the edge of the eyewall. Good news, for sure, especially that the tanks didn't spill everywhere.

[PigRigger]

What happened to the French Guy that supposedly stayed on the Island.....or was that just urban myth????

[Strategerist]

Somebody made a post on a bulletin board somewhere (not sure where) as if it was a cut and paste of an AP article - it wasn't - the whole French meteorologist story was a fake.

[camas]

and the stop sign made it too

[finnman69]

looks like it was not as bad as Katrina. In the pic of the runway there is a building very close to the water that looks pretty intact.

[kingu]

What looks like a basketball hid behind the building on the middle left of the image. The high-res images, though, show a lot more damage than the low-res ones imply - looking at how virtually every tree is stripped, as well as chain link fences are crushed.

It almost looks like seaweed is on the ground everywhere, but that just might be the well scrubbed former leaves from the trees.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Hey...... what happened to Thomas Cavanaugh the French astronomer?! ;-)

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

And maybe the rodents drowned and got washed out to sea?! (We can only hope...)

[elcid1970]

I saw Wake Island as a nine year old Army brat in 1958. Jap relics were everywhere, including a beached midget sub, and some beaches were off limits due to mines. Still got coral I picked up from them. Had to watch out for rusty barbed wire.

Marines fought one hell of a battle on Wake in 1942. Of course I didn't learn that till later.

[Right Wing Assault]

Looks like it blew down what might be a chain link fence around the dish! Didn't they used to call those "hurricane" fences?

[zot]

Thanks for the ping. I had been wondering how badly Wake was damaged. It looks considerably better than I expected.

[Joe Boucher]

Thanks HAL, yesterday I saw a story but it didn't post photos. This seems loads better then it could have been.
GOOD job.

[ThomasPaine2000]

Andrews... Note their logo..(Red Lightning Bolt)

[ThomasPaine2000]

Bent, but not broken, just a little duct tape will fix it..
Time for the SeaBee's and Redhorse/Prime Beef to go to work. A lot better than I was expecting, some of those roofs survived better than mine during Hurricane Rita!!

[El Gato]

The makers of this particular satellite dish are going to want to use this shot in an advertising campaign.

I had the same thought. I think that's an Andrew antenna from the logo.

A photo of an earth station antenna from their website

[El Gato]

The dish has some damage that was not apparent in the low-res photo

Indeed it does. But I think those things are put together in sections on site anyway. Just replace or reattach the twisted sections and it'll probably be good to go. Wouldn't be surprised if it works "Good enough", assuming the electronics and cables are OK.

[El Gato]

It would be interesting to see a wide view of the whole islan

Actually that runway shot does cover a substantial fraction of the "whole island". Place just isn't very big.

In the higher res shot, you can see that there is some sand on the overrun. The perimeter road and a road that apparently lead to the beach are pretty much covered by sand. But still, overall, not bad at all. The Red Horse team should have her up and running in a week or two, maybe much less.

[MplsSteve]

That's impressive. I would have liked to have seen Wake Island at a time like that.

I'll bet the relic hunting was huge! Did anyone in your family bring home any souvenirs?

[1rudeboy]

I would add that the folks who erected it should also.

[SW6906]

Ping!

[LadyPilgrim]

Thank you for this update.

I had sent out info in an email, on this little piece of earth, before it was hit.

I am so grateful it isn't so badly damaged.
Praise the Lord!

[Vroomfondel]

Didn't they used to call those "hurricane" fences?

Well, there's the problem. They should have used a "typhoon" fence.

(sorry; couldn't resist)

[AnAmericanMother]

What's the state flower of West Virginia doing on Wake Island?

Invasive species.

[Ready4Freddy]

Damn, and I was gonna say... 'never bring a hurricane fence to a typhoon fight' ;>)

[Heyworth]

the whole French meteorologist story was a fake.

Damn. I was wondering all weekend what happened to him. He would've had a hell of a story to tell.

[DouglasKC]

Thanks for the info. I appreciated some of the prior threads about Wake Island. It was fascinating to do some study about it's history and how it affected those who have lived there.

[Right Wing Assault]

Well, I guess that does explain it! I wonder if anyone makes typhoon fences so they can replace the trashed hurricane fence.

[Minn]

I'll bet the relic hunting was huge! Did anyone in your family bring home any souvenirs?

We brought back some .50 shells and lots of glass balls. The Jap Zero buried in the back yard was a little big and rusty to move. A kooky neighbor lady was always bringing home hand grenades and other ordinance. She would get mad when her husband called the bomb squad.

[Minn]

[HAL9000]

Wake Island overflight videos

[kingu]

It says that the session has expired; what did you search for to find it?

[kingu]

NM, found it...

http://homeport.uscg.mil/mycg/portal/ep/portDirectory.do?tabId=1&cotpId=27

[HAL9000]

Yes, that's it. Click the link titled "Coast Guard Responds to Super Typhoon Ioke" and the videos are linked in the column on the right.

[ExSES]

We brought back some .50 shells and lots of glass balls. The Jap Zero buried in the back yard was a little big and rusty to move. A kooky neighbor lady was always bringing home hand grenades and other ordinance.

Never was at a post overseas while old enough to scavange (we were in the Canal Zone and Puerto Rico during WWII). However, stateside posts were loaded with military souveniers as well! For those who don't know, the military's idea of "disposal" following WWII and the Korean War was to throw anything that wasn't explosive in a dump on the base and bury a lot of explosive ordinance in shallow trenches or the closest body of water!

Luckily, our "trophies" never exploded on anyone I knew but, if our parents discovered them... we caught hell and the base disposal teams were called out! We learned to keep our "trophies" hidden away from the housing areas!

I did have a friend who had lived on several Pacific islands which were loaded with very nasty stuff. He told tales of attempting to detonate old corroded hand grenades and the like..., even had a Jap Nambu pistol in good condition (though his father had removed the firing pin in order for him to keep it)! He did tell of knowing two kids who were killed when they somehow blew themselves up in a cave, presumably while scavanging for trophies...