Supplies are handed out at Fort Eisenhower, Ga., following Hurricane Helene. The base will remain closed through Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, to recover from the storm. (David Logsdon/U.S. Army)

Fort Eisenhower in Georgia will remain closed through Friday after troops and families at the base spent five days without power or water because of Hurricane Helene.

Base residents are approved to move to safer locations with reliable power and water with the promise of reimbursement, which also reduces the strain on resources as workers clear roads of debris and fallen trees and get businesses, medical and child care facilities reopened, officials said.

“As we slowly and sequentially build back power and water, we need to certify the safety and security of the installation before we invite more people up,” Maj. Gen. Ryan Janovic, commander of the Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Eisenhower, said Tuesday in a video posted online.

Further south in Georgia, officials at Moody Air Force Base issued a similar order, though the base could not be reached Tuesday to know how hurricane recovery is progressing.

Hurricane Helene struck the U.S. coast near the Big Bend region of Florida on Thursday night as a Category 4 storm and left a path of devastation as it moved inland. More than 160 have been reported dead from the storm and millions have remained without power for days, according to the Associated Press.

Crews repair a roof at Fort Eisenhower, Ga., following Hurricane Helene. (David Logsdon/U.S. Army)

The Defense Department was unable to provide how many military bases or troops were living without power or water. The Navy said Tuesday that all its bases are fully operational and mission ready. Some sustained minor damage such as fallen trees.

The Army and Air Force referred any questions about storm damage or recovery to the affected installations but did not provide a full list of locations closed because of the storm.

At Fort Eisenhower, located near Augusta, nearly 5,000 advanced individual training students and more than 7,000 family members were living on post without power or water until Tuesday afternoon, according to military officials.

Base leaders have kept residents updated through social media about restoring utilities and locations where they can access food trucks or get into air-conditioning and charge their electronics.

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service drove its mobile store more than 950 miles from Waco, Texas, to Fort Eisenhower at the request of garrison commander Col. Anthony Kozar. Inside the trailer, people can buy snacks, drinks and toiletries.

“With most stores and restaurants in the area closed, the [mobile field exchange] is delivering essential services to make life a little more comfortable for those on the installation as well as the personnel who are working tirelessly to bring things back to normal,” Fort Eisenhower Exchange General Manager LaToya Harris said in a statement.

Hurricane Helene made landfall Sept. 26, 2024, and brought a more than 7-foot storm surge onto MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, which led to flooding in some areas of the base. (U.S. Air Force)

MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa spent Monday and Tuesday closed as it conducted planned power outages across the base to allow work on restoring electricity completely, officials said. By Tuesday morning, the base lifted all evacuation orders and expected a return to normal operations Wednesday, said Capt. Kaity Butler, spokeswoman for MacDill.

Roughly 20,000 people work at the base, and there are about 572 residences for junior airmen and families, she said.

Hurricane Helene brought a more than 7-foot storm surge across the base, which left water damage to some facilities, Butler said. However, nothing has hindered the base’s mission or will slow the return of its aircraft, including KC-135 Stratotankers.

“We are very, very lucky,” Butler said. “We are in a good position where we have all our buildings. We have all our people. Our hearts go out to the folks that did not fare so well. We’re actually very lucky to be sitting here and talking about flood damage.”