OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Nebraska — The floodwaters that swallowed around one-third of this base in suburban Omaha are long gone. But three years later, Offutt’s airmen are still fighting to stay afloat.

Most employees have not returned to their former workspaces, some of which were freshly renovated before the flood hit in March 2019. It will be several more years before they can move back into offices that promise to be better than what they lost.

The mess is a sign of progress — and a reminder that Offutt will be worse long before it gets better.