After Hurricane Matthew brushed off Cape Canaveral, NASA reported limited initial damage to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The weakened storm is now heading Southeast toward Georgia and South Carolina
NASA reported a limited roof damage to its facilities in Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, according to FOX News. There is also scattered debris and relatively minimal storm surge.
NASA reported that Hurricane Matthew passed the space center at about 26 miles off the tip of Cape Canaveral. The storm unleashed winds of 107 mph and caused damage to some facilities in Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Later on, NASA posted the statement that said preliminary damage assesment is being conducted. The report said the damage to its facilities are largely roof damage, window damage, water intrusion, damage to modular buildings and to building siding. The preliminary assesment also noted to find no damage to the flight hardware.
Further detail assessment will be undertaken by NASA's Damage Assessment and Recovery Team. The team will assess the damage to the entire facilities on Saturday.
NASA has prepared for the Hurricane Matthew since Thursday Oct. 6 when the storm closing in to Florida. The U.S. space agency shutdown Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and went into HURCON 1 status, which means hurricane risk is imminent. NASA spokesman George Diller said all preparatation protocols has been executed to prepare for the most powerful storm ever threatened the Unites States in decades.
"After the hurricane has passed, and winds have dropped below 50 knots, areas around KSC will be assessed and the damage assessment and recovery team will report for duty," CBS News quoted Diller as saying.
In order to prepare for the storm, NASA had assembled a team with 139 members as a rideout team. They were stationed at many critical facilities across the space center, monitored critical systems and reported any significant events to the emergency operation personnel. The command center for the emergency procedure is located in the Complex 39 Launch Control Center.