The U.S. Navy announced Saturday it would evacuate about 700 family members of troops and other staff by military cargo plane from Guantánamo Bay to “safe haven” in Pensacola, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Matthew.
(MiamiHerald)- “We have to prepare for the worst-case scenario” — a Category 3 or 4 hurricane making a direct hit on the remote base, Navy Capt. David Culpepper, the base commander, told residents in a live broadcast on Radio Gitmo Saturday afternoon. “Things are kind of in motion here at this point. We are trying to execute the most prudent plan given what we know.”
U.S. military planes were being lined up to arrive Saturday night or early Sunday to take the 700 people from the base of around 6,000 residents, he said, adding that family pets could join the exodus, provided their owners had health certificates from the base veterinarian.
Only if the storm weakened significantly overnight Saturday and the National Weather Service projected a Category 2 or weaker hurricane could the evacuation be halted, he added.
The Guantánamo base spokeswoman, Julie Ripley, announced the “mandatory evacuation” of “all non-essential personnel” in a statement earlier Saturday, meaning the military was picking up the cost of flights and lodging of the family members in Pensacola, as well as providing an allowance for food. “This includes dependents, school-aged children, special needs families, and their pets.”
In addition, she said, Coast Guard personnel were being evacuated to Miami, and the Navy’s small C-12 aircraft were being flown from the base to shelter in Jacksonville.
The base that may be best known for its war-on-terror prison — now holding 61 detainees, staffed by about 2,000 temporary troops and contractors — also has sailors, families and contractors living there as more permanent residents. About 6,000 people live there in different circumstances, including about 250 school-age children with their Navy families and 2,000 Jamaican and Filipino contract laborers.
At the detention center, spokesman Navy Capt. John Filostrat said without providing details that preparations were under way for the storm. He did not reply to a question on what category of hurricane the buildings currently housing the detainees and command staff could withstand.
(Photo Credit:SGT. RYAN HALLOCK U.S. ARMY via Miami Herald)