ANDREWS AFB, Md. –
Andrews received its first hailstorm of the year Saturday.
"A majority of the damage occurred on the East side of the base," said Staff Sgt. Donald E. Harshman, 316th Security Forces Squadron Law Enforcement Administration NCO.
The hardest hit areas were the 113th Wing and Naval Air Facility Washington.
"As of Wednesday, there were 15 privately owned vehicles whose owners reported damage due to the hail," said Sergeant Harshman. "Damages consisted mostly of small dents to the hoods, and roofs of the vehicles. There were some vehicles that had major damage such as broken windows and water damage to the interior."
"I was in my office when it happened," said Master Sgt. Linton L. Wilson, 113th Communications Squadron maintenance technician. "It was so loud you could hear it from inside the building. The hail was at least an inch wide. After the storm had moved through, I went to check on my vehicle and saw the back glass shattered, the driver side mirror shattered and dents on my hood, trunk and roof. There are probably more than 200 dents on my vehicle. I'm now in the process of getting my vehicle repaired and it'll take at least a week."
After the storm, many of the squadrons created site survey teams to assess the immediate damage, said Col. Taro K. Jones, 113th Mission Support Group commander.
At the 113 WG, 10 F-16's, two C-40's and 14 buildings were damaged, said Colonel Jones. At the transportation yard, the entire fleet is damaged - 17 government vehicles.
"The north end of the flightline received the worst damage," said Colonel Jones. "The alert trailers were the most affected, with broken windows and siding punctured. After initial assessment of aircraft damage, critical - hard to obtain parts - were ordered."
The estimated cost of the damage at the 113 WG is $12,000 for windshields, $50,000 for body damage and $22,000 for buildings.
"(The 113th Civil Engineer Squadron) continues to close the loop on repairing structural damage to buildings and (the 113th Maintenance Group) continues to find alternative solutions to aircraft parts acquisition and repair," said Colonel Jones. The 316th Operations Support Squadron Weather Flight reported winds at 38 knots with gusts up to 52 knots and 1 1/4 inch hail on base at 2:17 p.m. A weather warning for a tornado was also issued.