Navy Region Northwest Personnel Participate in Earthquake Readiness Exercises

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffry Willadsen | 160608-N-MM360-005 SILVERDALE, Wash. (June 8, 2016) Capt. William Bulis, Navy Region Northwest’s (NRNW) chief of staff, participates in a briefing of the NRNW Crisis Action Team in the NRNW Regional Operations Center as part of the emergency preparedness exercise Cascadia Rising. Emergency responders and personnel from various federal, state, and local agencies across the Pacific Northwest participated in the emergency preparedness exercise, which was coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). The exercise simulated a 9.0-magnitude earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, requiring participants to test their ability to respond to such a wide-scale disaster. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeffry Willadsen)  

SILVERDALE, WA, UNITED STATES

06.20.2016

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Jeffry Willadsen 

Commander, Navy Region Northwest

SILVERDALE, Wash.- Navy Region Northwest (NRNW) personnel participated in the large-scale earthquake preparedness exercises Cascadia Rising and Ardent Sentry June 7-14.

Based out of the Regional Operations Center (ROC) on Naval Base Kitsap (NBK)- Bangor, the NRNW Crisis Action Team (CAT) coordinated with the local, state and federal agencies during the exercises.

Cascadia Rising and Ardent Sentry simulated the occurrence and aftermath of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. In the exercise scenario, the quake occurred off of the coast of Oregon and Washington in the Cascadia subduction zone and was followed by a tsunami, devastating the Pacific Northwest.

"We know that these exercises are very important, not just because of the amount of people and agencies participating, but also because of the potential devastating effects of such a wide-scale earthquake," said Eric Greene, the NRNW operational training and readiness program manager. "We intend to be prepared to protect the Navy's mission and help bring relief to the local community in the event of such a disaster. That's what these exercises are all about."

Cascadia Rising, coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), simulated the earthquake and its immediate aftermath. NRNW ROC personnel participated in the exercise from June 7-9, and were tested on their immediate response to the crisis.

NRNW participated in Exercise Ardent Sentry June 13 and 14. This exercise put the clock forward 10 days into the crisis, focusing on ongoing relief and recovery efforts in the wake of the earthquake.

The scenarios introduced to Region personnel during the exercise were designed to simulate the damage caused during a real 9.0 earthquake as realistically as possible.

"We worked hard to incorporate the projected damage from outside the base into the scenario, in order to make the scenario we were working with consistent to what all of the outside agencies were doing," said Greene. "That way, we could work better in concert with our agency partners and ensure the most realistic possible environment at the same time. And the more realistic it is, the more we get out of the exercise."

NRNW CAT team members responded to the simulated crisis by working in roles established by FEMA’s standardized Incident Management System (ICS), including command staff, operations, planning, logistics, and other roles.

The CAT, composed of military members and civilian employees, worked in concert with personnel at Emergency Operations Centers in Navy Installations across NRNW, as well as county, state and federal agencies and organizations.

"Being part of the training team, I get to see how our personnel react to the problems that we introduce into the scenario," said Greene. "From that perspective, I can get a feel for how our team would react to a real crisis. They did a great job of adapting to the scenario and getting the job done."

Capt. William Bulis, the NRNW chief of staff, spent time acting as commander of the region CAT team for during the exercises.

"Our Crisis Action Team here at Navy Region Northwest really came together over the course of these exercises," said Bulis. "They understand the importance of what we do to respond to a natural disaster and brought all their experience and creativity into solving problems and rising to the challenge. I'm proud to be a part of this outstanding group of Sailors and civilians."

Following the exercises, CAT members filled out feedback reports and/or participated in an after-action briefing. The lessons learned during the exercises will be used to improve NRNW’s emergency response efforts in the future.

"We learned a lot over the course of the last few days," said Greene. "I'm very confident that we improved our readiness and are more prepared for whatever nature has to throw at us."

• Date Taken: 06.20.2016
• Date Posted: 06.20.2016 15:47
• Story ID: 201821
• Location: SILVERDALE, WA, US