TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 325th Fighter Wing prepared for hurricane season by testing and evaluating its preparedness and response procedures June 6-9.
The exercise simulated a volatile hurricane, and wing leaders were forced to change their plans for Tyndall AFB as the storm changed shape and intensity.
“You cannot predict weather,” said Capt. Steven Lane, 325th FW Inspector General director of inspections. “We can do our best, but this hurricane changed immensely throughout the few days we were exercising. It changed directions, it changed speed and it changed strength.”
“Hurricane Danny” was based on Hurricane Opal, a real storm that hit Tyndall in 1995. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Opal was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.
“Wing leadership didn’t know how the exercise was going to play out,” Lane said. “They were definitely surprised. They were a little irritated at times, but once we told them that this was based on a real storm, they were glad they got to run through the exercise.”
As the exercise played out, the need to be prepared for a real hurricane became more and more apparent.
“Monday we had some knowledge of a storm and it looked like we weren’t going to evacuate anything except the jets,” Lane said.
By Tuesday, though, the wing was preparing to evacuate all families and non-mission essential personnel from the area and to safety. The simulated storm spun from a Category 2 to a Category 3 hurricane in a short span of time.
“If you weren’t ready with a go-bag and prepared properly, you would have been caught with a lot of last minute preparations,” Lane said. “There would have been very little time to make sure you have cash, your car is filled with gas, your house is prepared properly and your family is ready to go.
“When the power goes out, so do ATMs and gas pumps,” Lane said. “So it is important to make sure you have cash on hand, you never go below half a tank of gas and your family is always prepared to evacuate.”
Throughout the exercise, each element of the wing’s hurricane plan was inspected. One of the biggest lessons was the need for a solid communication tool, which the wing found in the Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System.
AFPAAS is a standardized method for the Air Force to account, assess, manage and monitor the recovery and reconstitution process for personnel and their families affected by a wide-spread catastrophic event.
In the event of a major disaster or evacuation, members should log into AFPAAS to report location and status. If unable to log in, members can contact the Total Force Service Center at 1-800-525-0102 or the Air Force Personnel Readiness Center at 1-800-435-9941 and they will manually provide accountability in the system.
“AFPAAS and communication post-evacuation is really critical to have on everyone’s minds beforehand,” Lane said. “One account can work for the whole family, so make sure your family knows how to log into it.”