U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka held an Emergency Evacuation Program (EEP) drill at the installation’s James D. Kelly Fleet Recreation Center gymnasium, Feb. 13 and 15.

The drill, which is the first to be held under the new EEP, was aimed at preparing Yokosuka community members to understand what steps they’ll need to take if an evacuation from Japan was required. The drill also served as practice for the people responsible for guiding evacuees through the process.

“My hope is that this will be a win-win for the command and the people participating so that they know what the process is like,” said Michael Liem, Fleet Activities Yokosuka’s emergency management officer.

U.S. Forces Japan last year required all active duty and civilian employees to maintain an EEP packet. The newly revamped bundle of documents ensure families and their pets have the information they need to repatriate back to the U.S. and get reimbursed for furniture and other belongings left behind in the event that an evacuation is called for by the U.S. government. 

During this month’s drill, volunteers from U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center (SRF-JRMC) and the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) brought their EEP packets to the Evacuation Control Center (ECC) set up at Fleet Recreation Center gym.

With packet in hand, the volunteers visited tables manned by the supporting organizations that make up the ECC such as the base’s Housing Office, Fleet and Family Support Center, Vehicle Registration Office, Personal Property Office, U.S. Naval Hospital Yokosuka and U.S. Army Veterinary Services.

Melissa Jones, a Navy spouse and Reagan ombudsman who participated in the drill on Feb. 15, discovered she needed a few more forms for her EEP packet. Now, she can fill them out before a real emergency hits and cut down on the stress and time spent in line.

“It really put my mind at ease to know that if an emergency comes about, the kids and I will be ok,” Jones said.

Marisol Vences, who is also a Navy spouse and Reagan ombudsman, said the drill also helped her with the forms. But it also made her realize that as a pet owner she should be aware of what kind of crate and information to bring in the event of an emergency.

“It was a really good experience and I hope if there is another drill that all families could take part in it,” Vences said.

Beth Schulz, EEP coordinator for SRF-JRMC, said volunteers’ active involvement not only helped provide learning lessons for themselves, but for the ECC and drill organizers too. SRF-JRMC participants, for example, asked good questions about real-life concerns such as pets, medicine supply, and cell phone service.

“The participants ‘made the exercise’ because they were energized and involved,” Schulz said. “The volunteers wanted to make it as meaningful as they could.”

Liem, said the lessons learned from the drill will be incorporated into the base’s EEP plan and future drills.

“This is as much a process of improvement for us as it is a practice to get ourselves prepared,” he said. “A big ‘thank you’ to the volunteers who took the time to help us with making this drill as realistic as possible.”

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