JBSA-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall on the island of Cuba Oct. 4.
For safety reasons, more than 700 U.S. personnel were evacuated from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., nearly 1,100 miles away.
Meeting the families in Pensacola was a team of three U.S. Army South
Soldiers assigned with the task of ensuring the smooth transition and accountability of the families involved.
The three Soldiers – Lt. Col. Charles Prevatte, Lt. Col. Derek Neal and Master Sgt. Tomas Fernandez – traveled from San Antonio to NAS Pensacola to assist the 18 Army families, who were among the hundreds of evacuees. In total, 46 individuals were assisted by the Army South trio.
“It was rewarding to go on a mission to take care of our family members, and let them know that they were not alone and the command was concerned with their wellbeing,” Fernandez said. “If it was me in the boots of the Naval Station Guantanamo Soldiers, I would have felt relieved that my family was being cared for in an emergency situation.”
The Army South team was successful in supporting families by getting orders processed and distributed to families, giving the families peace of mind and one less thing to worry about.
The NAS Pensacola Fleet and Family Readiness team established an emergency family assistance center at a lodging facility to house the displaced families.
From this location, the families were able to access all of the resources needed from relief support, coordinating medical care and even taking advantage of Morale, Welfare and Recreation resources.
“NAS Pensacola did a fantastic job receiving, housing and providing services for the evacuees,” Prevatte said. “They treated our Army families like their own.”
After a week at NAS Pensacola, the evacuees began the trek back to their homes at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Oct. 11. The redeployment process spanned four different flights over two days.