Wright-Patterson at risk for wildfires, Pentagon report claims

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is vulnerable to wildfires, according to a Pentagon report released last week.

The Pentagon report found 32 of the Air Force’s “mission assurance priority installations” in 22 states are at risk for wildfires over the next 20 years. The report also assessed risk for flooding, extreme temperatures, wind and drought on U.S. military bases.

“About two-thirds of the 79 installations addressed in this report are vulnerable to current or future recurrent flooding and more than one-half are vulnerable to current or future drought. About one-half are vulnerable to wildfires,” according to the report.

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Mandated by the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, the report assessed “significant vulnerabilities from climate-related events in order to identify high risks to mission effectiveness on installations and to operations.”

The report found Wright-Patterson has the following risks:

• The base does not have a current risk for recurrent flooding, but it does has a potential risk for recurrent flooding.

• The base has a current risk for drought and a potential risk in the future for drought.

• The base does not have a current risk for desertification, and it does not have potential risk for it in the future.

• The base has a current risk for wildfires and a potential risk for wildfires in the future.

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