CAMP FOSTER, Japan - Following Typhoon Muifa, Marines and other personnel began to assess the damage to bases here Aug. 6.
During a typhoon, the U.S. military on Okinawa uses a system of Tropical Cyclone Conditions of Readiness to inform service members about the typhoon and what actions to take to prepare for it.
TCCOR 1 Recovery which follows TCCOR 1 Emergency is when assessments and repairs begin.
During TCCOR 1R, all nonessential functions remain closed unless directed by the commander, and everyone except emergency essential personnel remain in quarters. Emergency essential personnel begin assessing the damage and start clearing away typhoon debris.
Emergency essential personnel include members of the Base Safety Office and Marines on the Response Reconnaissance and Rescue Team for Camp Services.
“The first thing we do is dispatch our recon and rescue team to go around the camps clearing any hazards and calling in any damages they see,” said Heather Huller, the Camp Foster Emergency Operations Center watch officer for Camp Services. “They make sure the roads are clear of debris, and there are no broken power lines or glass lying around.”
Base safety office personnel perform similar checks.
“We drive around the camp to recognize and identify hazards that were overlooked and that may have been missed when they first went through,” said Aaron M. Davis, an occupational safety and health specialist with the Marine Corps Bases Japan Installation Safety Office.
MCBJ safety office also looks for hazards that may not have been considered a threat during the initial check.
“When we search the camp, we look at things with a different set of goggles,” said Forrest W. Williams II, supervisor occupational safety and health specialist with MCBJ Installation Safety Office.
“When we spot something, we determine the severity of the hazard and coordinate with the appropriate agency to avert the hazardous mishap.”
According to Marine Corps Bases Japan Order P3000.1C, if there is extensive damage TCCOR 1R will remain in effect until the hazard has been removed.
“Preparation and mitigation is the most importation part of the process,” said Huller. “With all the procedures set forth, it will help make the response easier and faster to execute because of all the practices we would have performed.”
Though damages and debris were less severe after Typhoon Mufia as compared to previous typhoons, it is always better to be well prepared, said Huller.