Gary Wagner Firefighters at Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Md., assist “victims“ of a simulated car crash on the base, which was staged as part of the HURREX 08 exercise conducted during the first week of May.

Many NSA South Potomac departments, along with representatives of supported commands and local agencies participated in the mock scenario. ‘‘Injects”, possible additional situations that could arise during a natural disaster, were added to the exercise to give police, fire and antiterrorism force protection, along with quality of life facilities, a chance to deal with a scenario and be prepared for the real thing. An inject at Indian Head found emergency services personnel responding to a head-on car crash during the fictitious storm.

And to add to already urgent matters, Joint Forces Headquarters staged a coop exercise at Dahlgren in the Emergency Operations Center. Should a disaster strike the National Capital Region, emergency personnel would deploy to Dahlgren in an effort to keep security operations running and protect the national capital area.

The goals of the exercise were to prepare agencies for possible scenarios during a disaster, as well as identify issues that might arise if personnel needed to be evacuated and determine the safety of buildings that might be used as ‘‘ride-out” shelters for teams that stay on base to deal with after-storm issues.

‘‘One of the first jobs of Emergency Management is to identify what hazards, both man-made and natural, could affect the installation,” said MAC Sean Storms, N7 Training Coordinator for NSA South Potomac. ‘‘Planning is then started in order to prepare each department or tenant command for their respective response in the event a disaster does occur,” said Storms.

The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina created many questions for military bases. How will bases account for all their employees and their family members, given power and cell phone outages, and distances traveled by evacuees? Where do you house military members whose homes are damaged or destroyed by the storm? If you must evacuate base residents, where do you go and how do you care for those that evacuate?

Following the command destructive weather plan is the first step. Each Condition of Readiness, or COR, has associated steps to take to prepare. As the storm nears and it becomes more clear where it will make landfall, appropriate actions are followed. In addition to monitoring weather reports and staying in communication with local agencies, outdoor items are secured, traffic control items are secured, sandbags are deployed in flood-prone areas and equipment inside buildings is raised to higher levels to avoid damage from flooding, among other preventative measures. Any notices from state and local agencies are monitored so quick action can be taken.

Most importantly, lines of communication are open and updated with base employees and residents to keep them informed and to help them be prepared for what Mother Nature may have to offer. While employees monitor these communications, they should be preparing their family and home for the impact of the storm as well. Many resources, such as www.ready.gov and www.fema.gov give valuable information for families to prepare for disasters.

While a serious hurricane that looks to make landfall near Dahlgren and Indian Head would prompt leadership to encourage employees to stay home and prepare, there are those individuals who are mission essential during such an event. In addition to emergency services, a public works team would ride out the storm on base so they could begin debris removal and tend to any power or utility outages.

Once the storm has moved through, commands would begin the job of assessing damage and loss, and most importantly, locating employees and making sure all are safe.

The Fleet and Family Support Center would certainly play a major role in helping with that communication, as well as helping members find necessary services.

During the exercise, ‘‘the Fleet and Family Support Center, operating as the Fleet Assistance Center, became a single focus for supporting military families following a crisis event,” said Marilyn Henry, Program Director for the NSA South Potomac Fleet and Family Support Center. ‘‘The FAC consolidated all support resources in one centralized service delivery location,” said Henry. In the event of an hurricane, ‘‘a FAC can provide an opportunity for family members to make decisions to regain control of their lives.”

NSA South Potomac officials believe that ultimately, employees and military members need to make sure they’re prepared away from work. ‘‘Make a Family Disaster Plan,” said Storms. ‘‘This will help an individual or family plan and be ready for a natural disaster. Go to www.fema.gov and click on the Plan Ahead tab. There you will find ways to prepare for different hazard such as hurricanes, tornadoes etc. You can also find item to include in your families disaster kit, such as flashlight, water, non-perishable food, and other important items,” said Storms.