
Photos by Steve Stefanides
On Monday when members made their way to the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) hangar at the Marco Island Executive Airport they were devastated with what they saw. The hangar itself was built 14 years ago through a fundraising effort run by the late Monte Lazarus, a longtime aviation enthusiast who was a member of the Wing for many years and a retired United Airlines executive. The building was erected to Category 2 standards on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to withstand winds of 110 mph.

“The building collapsed inward 50 feet like an accordion, popping out the sides and collapsing the roof into the hangar section of the building up to the area which is utilized as the Squadron’s operation center, but leaving the OP’s Center intact,” said Boone during his inspection.

Two vehicles that were left in the building were also crushed when the building imploded onto itself. The airport itself had minimal damage, although it did lose a couple of hangar doors.
“We’ll be pulling together our plans to rebuild the hangar as we assess the damage and cost to do so, while working within the community for their assistance,” said Squadron Commander Corriveau as he walked through wreckage while maintaining a positive attitude.
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