NASHVILLE, Tenn. - More than 1,000 Soldiers, Airmen and civilian emergency response personnel throughout the state are participating this week in an exercise simulating the Tennessee Military Department's response to a catastrophic earthquake along the New Madrid Fault.
The Tennessee National Guard, in conjunction with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) and the Tennessee State Guard, is working at locations throughout the state exercising plans laid out in the Tennessee National Guard Emergency Response Plan, which fully integrates with the statewide Tennessee Emergency Management Plan.
"The National Guard has a dual mission," said Maj. Gen. Max Haston, Tennessee's adjutant general. "In addition to providing war fighting troops to the president, the Tennessee Military Department also has a state mission, and that is providing the governor with troops ready to respond to disasters or civil disturbance here at home. The close relationship between the National Guard and TEMA makes for a seamless operation integrating TEMA's mitigation of resources and the Guard's response capability."
"The guard continually plans for operations such as this and the exercise gives us the opportunity to practice and fine tune those plans," said Col. Rob Covert, the Tennessee Guard J-3, operations director. "The Tennessee National Guard excels at both deliberate and emergency planning so it is imperative that we practice these operations to insure that we are ready if and when a disaster hits. We tend to "fight as we train," so making the scenarios as realistic as possible is critical to our response capability."
"There is no way to anticipate all of the issues and problems that will occur should such a disaster take place, but this allows us to practice and respond to those unplanned contingencies and respond accordingly," said Covert.
The exercise will run through Thursday, with the major emphasis at the Tennessee National Guard Headquarters Emergency Operations Center in Nashville.
Media wishing to cover portions of the exercise should contact the Tennessee Military Department’s Joint Public Affairs Office at 615-313-0633.