Posted on 09/05/2006 10:52:53 AM PDT by conservative in nyc
Wake Island may be small, but it stood up to a super typhoon in a big way last week. The U.S Coast Guard flew a reconnaissance mission over the weekend to check on the island just days after Typhoon Ioke roared through.
When the crew approached the Island they weren't sure what they were going to find. "Our first assessment that we heard of the island could be pretty massive devastation. When we came to the island we flew over it at a thousand feet and we were pleasantly surprised that any significant hazards, fuel tanks, runway, general building conditions were in pretty good repair," said Lieutenant Adam Bentley of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Most of the island appears to be in good shape, but not everything was spared. "Roof tops were taken off and side of buildings were blown out. There was sand around the island and trees down, but in general the major infrastructure was still in tact," Bentley said.
One of the first things the coast guard focused on when Wake Island was visible, the fuel storage facilities. "They have major aircraft fuel tanks, with jp-5 that could have spilled, and everything that we saw indicated that everything was still self contained. And there wasn't any hazmat pollution that we could see," Bentley said.
In a few days another step will be taken to getting back on Wake Island. "They should be arriving on Wednesday and they have the pacific strike team on board. So, should be approximately about twenty members that will assess the whole island on scene, up close. Be taking samples and indications of the environment to make sure it's still intact," Bentley said.
Once the island is deemed safe the nearly 200 people who work on it will be brought back.
The workers were evacuated off Wake Island a few days before Ioke barreled through.
It's been nearly 40 years since Wake Island was uninhabited. It was last evacuated in 1967.
The good thing about small islands is they don't get much storm-surge. Bays and inlets on larger land-masses on the other hand......
?
If you'd read just a few more words, you'd have gotten your answer: It was last evacuated in 1967.
Was there a French scientist who stayed on the island?
Hirohito couldn't keep Wake, and now we will take it back from Ioke...
Yeah, but don't underestimate those clever Japanese - if they quickly mounted an expeditionary force, they could take it back over the next couple of days while it was uninhabited...
*LOL*
Hopefully, they'll just keep their forces focused on their left flank...
"Wake Island: where America's day really begins."
I did some searches for that video this morning, but haven't found it yet.
So if no one is on Wake Island is this like an abondon ship. Can I go in and plant my flag and claim ownership. Hahahahaha.
I'm amazed. I didn't think the fuel depots had any chance of survival.
Someone faked a news story that a French Scientist stayed on the Island (just to be clear, the news organization had nothing to do with it, it was apparently a fake posting on a bulletin board.)
More than likely, even if they managed to contain their fuel, the fuel is contaminated and they will have to go through a major purging before the tanks can be used again.
It will take a long time before the airfield is once again functional.
Hard to tell from this report. That the storage tanks survived at all seems like a miracle. Wake was on the "weak side" of a Category 5 storm, which isn't weak at all. I didn't really expect much to survive except perhaps the runway.
The island did much better. How much will have to wait for the arrival by boat of the inspectors, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
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