Aircraft from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa will ride out Tropical Storm Isaac at McGhee Tyson.
Air refuelers from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa arrived at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base Saturday morning to ride out Tropical Storm Isaac.
Four KC-135 aircraft brought in around 100 airmen, along with supplies and equipment, in order to continue their normal operations.
Even during these storms, the 91st Air Refueling Squadron must continue their missions.
"Maintaining our operational readiness is pretty important for us," said Capt. Matt Swee of MacDill Airforce Base.
Capt. Swee said the Air National Guard base served as a useful temporary home.
"It's really nice that they have space on the ramp and facilities that we're pretty much used to. The fact that we're able to work with Air National Guard really helps," he said.
Capt. Joseph Keith of the 134th Air Refueling Wing based at McGhee Tyson said this area is a safe distance from the storm's path.
"We're far enough inland where we don't get the detrimental effects from the storm and we also have a lot of expansive real estate and larger runways to accommodate these larger air craft," Capt. Keith said.
Capt. Keith said depending on the storm's track, more airplanes could be flying into McGhee Tyson.
Currently there is no timeline when the airmen will travel back to Tampa.
While the visiting airmen will continue working during their stay, they said they hope to explore East Tennessee if they get some time off.
This is not the first time McGhee Tyson has been used as a shelter for the military. This time last year, they hosted 70 military air crafts during Hurricane Irene.
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Beginning Saturday, McGhee Tyson Airport will serve as a temporary home for Florida-based military aircraft.
This same thing happened last year during Hurricane Irene.
The military does this so the planes will be safe during the storm.
The planes are set to begin arriving in East Tennessee at 9:30 a.m. They'll be housed at the Air National Guard base.
The storm is already hitting parts of the Dominican Republic with heavy rain.