OTTAWA — Thirty Canadian military members and their families were forced to evacuate their Florida homes and are now living in a hotel after a hurricane ripped through the U.S. air force base where they are stationed. The ordeal began earlier this month when the Canadians were moved to Mississippi before Hurricane Michael slammed into Tyndall Air Force Base, where Canada has a small contingent of service personnel. While the Canadians were able to escape injury, NORAD deputy commander Lt.-Gen. Chris Coates said the hurricane damaged much of the base — including the Canadians’ rented accommodations. While the focus is on getting them back into their homes, Coates said some are too damaged and “interim” accommodations will found. “We’ve deployed specialists down to Florida to deal with what amounts to really pretty significant challenges,” Coates said in a telephone interview from Colorado Spring, Colo.“Schools aren’t operating at the moment.

Source: National Post October 23, 2018 20:26 UTC