As hurricane season draws closer along the Atlantic Coast, Naval District Washington (NDW) is once again preparing to conduct HURREX, an annual exercise aimed at increasing preparedness in the event of a weather emergency.

This year's scenario, running May 8-19, involves two major storms with one moving its way up the East Coast and testing naval installations' preparation, response and recovery to a destructive weather event.

"NDW will leverage HURREX-17 to conduct integrated training events for installations and tenant commands to exercise the Commander, Naval Installations Command (CNIC) All-Hazards Plan and our NDW Region Response Plan," said Matt Brown, lead exercise planner for NDW.

Brown said that, throughout the region, each installation will be participating in the exercise to prepare both operational forces and the Navy family.

Major events scheduled include a helicopter crash and an emergency shelter opening at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB), a HAZMAT spill event at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, flooding at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Washington, and the establishment of Emergency Family Assistance Centers (EFAC) at NSA South Potomac and NSA Bethesda.

"In the event of a real hurricane, we expect significant flooding, power outages, and lack of communication ability," Brown said. "Those are the kinds of things we build into our exercise scenarios to create realism. We are also conducting a limited continuity of operations exercise for our Regional Operations Center personnel."

"There are two really important things we stress during a hurricane exercise," Brown said. "Number one, we want all of our installations to be ready and have a backup business plan in case of a natural disaster like a hurricane. So, from an operational standpoint, it's important to train the force and train all of our business lines on what to do if the normal day-to-day operations of the Navy are disrupted by a natural disaster. I think also it's important that the Navy family learn to prepare for a hurricane, and that includes building a home emergency kit and a 'Go-bag' to be ready in advance in case evacuation is necessary."

Such packages should include emergency batteries, flashlights, radios, blankets, food and water. Being prepared in the first crucial minutes and hours after an emergency occurs is important, rather than trying to figure out what to do and what supplies one is supposed to have, Brown added.

For information on how to build a kit, make plans and stay informed on emergency news, Sailors and civilian Navy personnel are encouraged to visit http://www.ready.navy.mil. Families may also take a readiness quiz on the site to test their emergency preparedness knowledge.

All military, civil service and contractor personnel with an NMCI or One Net user account are required to register for the Wide Area Alert Network (WAAN), which provides alerts through a variety of methods, including exterior and interior loudspeakers, computer desktop notifications, and mobile text or email through cell phones.

The national hurricane season runs June 1 through Nov. 30. For more information about hurricanes and weather updates, visit the National Hurricane Center website at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov.

For more information from NDW, visit http://www.facebook.com/NavDistWash.

For more news from Naval District Washington, visit http://www.navy.mil/.