MacDill AFB teams helping Panhandle colleagues

Airmen from the 290th Joint Communications Support Squadron work around the clock to provide communication services Oct. 13, 2018, aiding Hurricane Michael recovery efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Caleb Nunez)

Nearly three dozen service members from MacDill Air Force Base are helping restore communications in the Panama City area. At the same time, MacDill is opening its doors to personnel from Tyndall Air Force Base in the Panhandle, which sustained heavy storm damage. 

“We can connect you with base resources like child care, counseling, medical services, finance assistance, and more,” said Lt. Allison Mills, a public affairs officer at MacDill. 

Mills is among those deployed with members of the 920th Joint Communications Support Squadron. They took satellite uplinks, radios, and other equipment.

So far, they have helped reconnect important communications systems in several counties, including the Bay County Emergency Operations Center.