Hurricane, Hurricane, here comes the rain

Published May 13, 2015
By Airman 1st Class Ty-Rico Lea
325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Hurricane season is upon us and Team Tyndall members have come together to incorporate routines and procedures when confronted with a natural disaster.

"Preparation is our best tool," said Marty Spikes, 325th Civil Engineer Squadron readiness and emergency management chief. "We will never prevent a weather disaster from happening so educating base personnel on ways to prepare for and recover from a disaster is the best tool we have."

In the event of a hurricane, personnel should listen for instructions over the loud speaker. Evacuations include military and civilian living in all privatized housing areas, lodging, family camp and dorms on base.

The Air Forces Northern-Tyndall Command Center plays tones to alert personnel on and off the installation.

"The Command Center uses a set of Quick Reaction Checklists that have pre-defined actions to take in the event of an emergency to ensure that all warnings are disseminated to the base populace, as well as, up-channeled to higher headquarters as needed," said Allen Kelly, AFNORTH-TCC chief. "Whenever people hear the sirens, they should immediately seek appropriate shelter."

The 'National Standard' for Natural Disaster Warning Signals is a three to five minute steady signal from sirens, horns, or other devices and may be repeated as necessary.

Personnel required to evacuate the base should be mindful that the 325th Fighter Wing commander has established an evacuation distance not to exceed 350 miles and be no less than 100 miles from base. Also, evacuation routes are dependent on the storm's traveling path.

In addition to Tyndall's installation disaster procedures, there is also the Federal Emergency Management Agency-driven "America's Prepare-A-thon" campaign. The goals of this campaign are to increase the number of individuals who understand which disasters could happen in their community, know what to do to be safe and mitigate danger, and take action to increase their preparedness.

According to www.beready.af.mil, after an emergency, all Air Force-affiliated personnel who are directly affected by major natural disasters or man-made events are to report their status to their command at the first available opportunity. In some cases, the Secretary of Defense will direct all DOD-affiliated personnel in the affected area to report their accountability status as soon as possible. When this happens, if you have access to the internet you are to report your status online through the Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System at https://afpaas.af.mil.

The www.beready.af.mil website also includes the Air Force Emergency Preparedness guide which is a guide that includes information on what to do in any disaster man-made or natural.

Airmen and dependents are advised to always have family preparedness kits readily accessible in addition to the Air Force Be Ready app on an app-compatible electronic device.

A working weather radio, non-perishable food and water and other survival essential items are some of the things that should be included in a family's preparedness kits.