DHS starts hurricane preparedness exercises

The Department of Homeland Security has kicked-off the first of five regional hurricane preparedness exercises to test improvements made since last year’s hurricane season and to identify areas that require additional coordination before the start of this hurricane season, which officially begins June 1st.

The table-top exercises will focus on several key preparedness and disaster response functions, including evacuations, sheltering, National Response Plan implementation, and National Incident Management System activation.

“Hurricane preparation is a shared responsibility among local, state and federal agencies and our non-governmental partners,” said George Foresman, Under Secretary for Preparedness. “By training together now, we better integrate planning and response capabilities and make certain that roles and responsibilities are understood at all levels of government.”

The Preparedness Directorate’s Office of Grants and Training developed the exercises with FEMA to engage officials from states and territories in the likely hurricane impact zone. The exercises will include partners at all levels of government, as well as tribal entities, non-governmental organizations and private industry.

The first exercise in Philadelphia, May 3-4, involves Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.

Additional exercises will be held:
* May 8-9 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, involving Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands
* May 17-18 in New Orleans, involving Louisiana and Arkansas
* May 31-June 1 in Atlanta, involving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina
* June 20-21 (location TBD), involving New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont

www.dhs.gov/hpe

•Date: 5th May 2006• Region: US • Type: Article •Topic: Emergency planning
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