Video: large waves affected the US military base in the Marshall Islands

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Video captures the moment large waves hit a US military base in the Marshall Islands and the evacuation that followed.

In an unprecedented event, a US military base in the Marshall Islands was hit by a giant wave that caused flooding and considerable damage to the structure of Fort Roi-Namur, located at the northern end of Kwajalein Atoll. A video, broadcast on social networks, showed the magnitude of the event and how people were thrown away by the aquatic impact.

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The event occurred around 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, when anomalous waves of approximately 1 to 1.2 meters high, induced by adverse weather conditions, impacted the island, tearing doors from their hinges and pushing people. Fortunately, only minor injuries were reported among the personnel present.

The force of the water led staff inside the facility to climb tables and hold on firmly. An advisory issued by the United States Army on Sunday evening reported the evacuation of all non-essential mission personnel.

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Daily Mail reported that flooding at two airports on Ailinglaplap Atoll means they will remain closed for weeks, while moderate damage was reported on other islands on the atoll. In the incident, one person suffered lower body injuries and was treated at a clinic on Kwajalein Island and is in stable condition, according to public affairs officer Mike Brantley.

Military personnel began recording the waves invading the military base, although they did not imagine that the impact would be so great (@mysuncoast)

Video of the event, which has circulated online, captures the dramatic moment when huge waves break into the army base’s dining room, breaking the glass doors and permeating the structure as people try to cling to what they can to escape. of the onslaught. One of those present observes the flood holding a bottle of green beer, while the water continues to flow into the establishment.

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The US Army established an “Emergency Operations Cell” to oversee and coordinate all recovery efforts following the event. A damage assessment carried out on Sunday morning revealed how the flooding affected at least a third of Fort Roi-Namur, as well as much of the automotive warehouse area. However, a small island three miles from Roi-Namur was not affected by the wave, said David Paul, member of Parliament for Kwajalein.

The precise moment in which the waves hit the personnel and even destroyed the doors of a part of the military base. (@mysuncoast)

This site is known for housing some of the US Armed Forces’ most advanced space tracking equipment, forming part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Test Site.

The base hosts not only members of the military, but also civilian government employees, family members, U.S. contractor personnel and host nation personnel. Together they form “Team Kwaj”, as mentioned on the navy’s official website.

The video showed what the place looked like after the waves crashed against the structure. No lives lost (@mysuncoast)

Approximately 1,300 Americans reside on both the Kwajalein and Roi-Namur Islands who work for the government, the Department of Defense, and are U.S. contractors.

The Marshall Islands comprise more than 1,200 islands and atolls in the central Pacific Ocean. Administrative and military control passed into the hands of the United States after the Second World War in 1944 and, later, in 1983, they signed a Pact of Free Association with the North American country, obtaining their independence.