Case Study

Hurricane Michael ripped through Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida on Oct. 10. Its winds reached over 150 miles per hour and wailed against the base. The aftermath was catastrophic.

Hours after Michael made a historic landfall, the Air Force called upon KBR to help with recovery efforts. Under contract to help the U.S. government with rapid response to urgent needs during contingency situations, KBR was able to mobilize quickly to begin the recovery efforts.

Two months into the recovery efforts, KBR had mobilized and assembled a team of 3,300 personnel on site and functioned as a self-sustaining organization. The company joined the Air Force’s Task Force Phoenix – one of three task forces established by the military in response to the devastation. Phoenix’s mission was to address infrastructure, clear debris and ensure buildings were preserved as much as possible.

As part of this task force, KBR removed 792,450 cubic yards of debris, which is equivalent to 16 U.S. Capitol Building Rotundas; supported critical asset recovery operations for 4,110 items valued at $5.9B and weather-proofed and sealed 164 facilities. The company has also replaced 816,157 square feet of roofs which equals 14 football fields. It performed remediation and build-back of 127 facilities, permanent repairs to 50 facilities and critical repairs to five aircraft hangars. Additionally, KBR provided 103,843 meals over a three-month period which included the holidays. “When we opened a temporary dining facility, the airmen were able to celebrate their first real holiday – Thanksgiving – since the storm and relax for a few hours,” said Schulze. “This made it feel more like home to them and not a disaster area.”