16 Oct 2026 12:00
Hurricane Ride Out - Ep 635
What actually happens on a military base when a hurricane is headed straight at it?Trent and Peaches break down the stuff most people never see.Aircraft have to move.Families may have to evacuate.Training stops.Other bases have to make room.Commanders are staring at forecast models trying to decide whether they are moving too early — or waiting too long.And every decision costs money, training time, operational capability, and potentially lives.Both Trent and Peaches spent time around Hurlburt Field and the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, so they walk through what hurricane preparation actually looks like inside the Air Force.One of the coolest pieces:The ride-out team.When most people evacuate, selected personnel stay behind.Special Tactics.Security Forces.RED HORSE.Rescue-capable personnel.People with boats, communications, recovery equipment, and the skills to start working almost immediately after the storm passes.At the 23rd, that meant Zodiacs, inflatable boats, rescue equipment, and people already trained to operate in ugly conditions.Families get moved somewhere safer.The ride-out team stays.Then when the storm clears:Go to work.They also talk about how difficult the evacuation decision actually is.Move aircraft too early and you burn money, disrupt training, impact operations, and create problems for every receiving base.Wait too long and eventually the weather gets bad enough that you cannot safely fly the aircraft out at all.There is no perfect answer.There is only risk management.The conversation then expands into something useful for everybody — not just military people:How prepared is YOUR family?Power.Water.Food.Communications.Starlink.A bug-out plan.A vehicle.And enough capability to sit tight for roughly 72 hours while you figure out what the actual situation is.Trent makes the point that everybody loves talking about the bug-out bag, but if you have a family, your house is probably your best initial position in most emergencies.You do not need a bunker.You need enough preparation to buy yourself time.The guys also get into military disaster response after Hurricane Maria, why Hurlburt’s Special Tactics capability is uniquely useful after a storm, getting recalled to active duty, Rocky IV indoctrination, Vegas flash floods, and Peaches accidentally winning a one-minute bench-press challenge in flip-flops.Normal Ones Ready progression.Links:OnesReady.comOperatorTrainingSummit.comChapters:01:04 - Ones Ready and OTS Updates04:16 - Hurricane Hits the Gulf Coast05:15 - What Happens When a Base Prepares for a Hurricane?07:49 - Trent Left Anyway to Take Care of His Family08:11 - When Do You Evacuate a Military Base?10:02 - Commanders Have an Impossible Decision11:02 - What Happens When You Wait Too Long?12:01 - What Is a Ride-Out Team?13:20 - Who Should Stay Behind?14:17 - Riding Out the Hurricane15:30 - No Power, No Internet, Starlink Saves the Day17:07 - What Should Your Family Actually Have Ready?18:39 - Bug Out or Stay Home?19:30 - Why Communications Matter After the Storm20:39 - Special Tactics Disaster Response22:59 - Would Trent and Peaches Ever Re-Enlist?25:40 - Vegas Gets Hammered With Rain26:50 - Hiking Through Lightning Is Apparently Fine27:40 - Rocky IV Parenting29:16 - Peaches Accidentally Wins the Bench Press31:47 - Wrap-Up
