This week, the US Navy tested their disaster plans during their annual Citadel Rumble exercise using the USGS ARkStorm Scenario as the basis for the drill. The Navy Regional Operations Center in San Diego served as the basis for where they are conducting a full-scale exercise and is shown in the photo where ARkStorm inundation maps are on their screens. The exercise is focused entirely on the ARkStorm scenario, a month-long winter storm and flooding event, except for an earthquake and volcanic eruption in Washington state that was created only to keep any mutual aid from Pacific Northwest from occurring.
And this isn’t just about moving ships and aircraft to safety. One group, for instance, is exercising plans to address the flooding at Seal Beach with a focus on massive sewage concerns and moving children from their flooded Child Development Centers.
This exercise is just one example of the ways that the USGS Multi Hazard scenarios are used, as designed, by emergency managers and policy makers to prepare for what could realistically occur.
