Air Force bases in Florida and Mississippi prepare for Hurricane Isaias

Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field and Keesler Air Force Base have ordered evacuations and relocated aircraft ahead of the storm. The 96th Test Wing’s sunshades sit empty on Oct. 8, 2026, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., after aircraft departed ahead of the impending Hurricane Isaias. (Matt Veasley/U.S. Air Force) Air Force bases in Florida and Mississippi have ordered evacuations and relocated aircraft ahead of Hurricane Isaias. Hurricane Isaias is headed to the U.S. Gulf Coast and is expected to make landfall Friday night or early Saturday somewhere between Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The National Hurricane Center has issued numerous warnings and watches between Mississippi and Florida.

Col. Chris Keithley, the installation commander at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, declared Hurricane Condition 1 at 9 a.m. Central Time. “Mandatory evacuations should be completed at this time,” Keithley said in a statement Friday. “Airmen assigned to the Hurricane Response Force will remain on base in their official capacity and shelter in place when directed to until released by the installation commander for damage assessments and recovery operations.” The 96th Medical Group Hospital emergency operations, labor and delivery and inpatient services will remain open, Keithley added. Aircraft assigned to the 96th Test Wing, 53rd Wing and 33rd Fighter Wing departed Thursday ahead of the storm. Little Rock Air Force