Naval installations in the National Capital Region are preparing for the annual Exercise Hurricane/Citadel Gale 2023 (HURREX/CG) from April 24 to May 5, 2023. This exercise prepares the Navy to respond to adverse weather conditions in coastal regions of the United States and to maintain the ability to deploy forces under difficult conditions, while testing response times to account for Sailors, Department of the Navy civilians and families in affected regions through the system of Navy Family Accountability and Assessment (NFAAS).
Led by Command and Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces, Navy Installations Command, this year’s HURREX/CG follows a particularly damaging hurricane season in 2022, which saw just 14 storms in total and eight hurricanes, but was still one of the costliest on record due to Hurricane Ian. , which alone caused more than $113 billion in damage and was Florida’s deadliest hurricane since 1935. Exercises such as HURREX/CG aim to train installation personnel in the specifics of preparing and storm response.
“The purpose of the HURREX/CG exercise is to prepare our personnel for the impacts of a destructive weather event such as a hurricane,” explained Captain Derrick Kingsley, commanding officer of NAS Patuxent River. “And just like our safety drills, the main objective is to keep staff safe in the event of an emergency. The moment disaster strikes is never the time to figure out how to respond, so we train like a fight.
Conducted over a two-week period, the first week of the exercise includes tracking the evolution of the storm system along the U.S. Atlantic seaboard, simulating Tropical Cyclone Readiness Upgrades (TCCOR ) of the facility. Other planned simulations include ship sorties, aircraft evacuations, base evacuations and disaster preparedness/response. The second week focuses on recovery procedures, including lifting evacuation orders, reopening facilities, and conducting damage assessments.
NAS Patuxent River will also incorporate impacts to base electrical infrastructure by combining HURREX/CG with Exercise Black Start, an Energy Resilience Readiness (ERRE) exercise.
“A black start-up exercise, pursuant to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020, is ‘an exercise in which commercial electrical power to the facility is interrupted prior to the start-up of emergency generation assets,'” a said Lt. Cmdr. Paul Hill, NAS Patuxent River Public Works Division Operations Officer. “Overall, this is a real-world test of our backup power generation assets to determine if we can conduct critical missions in an extended power outage environment.”
Hill explained that a controlled power outage lasting 2 to 4 hours is planned for the majority of the base’s operational areas to accurately test the likely scenario of electrical impacts during and after a destructive storm.
Base leadership is working with leadership from other commands at Pax River to ensure minimal impact is felt as installation personnel train during these exercises.
“Early communication with our mission partners is key, as we saw during our last Citadel Shield/Solid Curtain exercise,” Kingsley said. “We want everyone at Pax River to know what to expect during a base-wide power outage. We have systems in place to mitigate impacts; however, there are areas for improvement, and we intend to run the Black Start exercise to better understand our systems and strive to make our facility more resilient in the event of an actual power outage.
Expected impacts under Exercise Black Start are traffic as Pax River Security personnel respond to traffic light outages, as well as some network and test mission delays. Majority of the living areas, Navy Exchange, Commissary, Clinic and Child Development Centers will not be affected by the expected power outage to minimize impacts on families in the marine on base.
While HURREX/CG helps determine if there are areas where the region or facility can improve its ability to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, personnel are encouraged to take charge of their own preparedness and planning. Updating information in the Navy Family and Responsibility System (NFAAS) and reviewing storm preparedness guidelines from resources such as www.ready.marine.mil Or www.ready.gov.
“The NFAAS is a critical resource for locating Navy personnel and their family members during a crisis or natural disaster to ensure they are safe,” Kingsley said. “And the resources available to our Navy families to help them prepare for a disaster can literally save their lives in the event of a disaster.”
To register with NFAAS, visit https://navyfamily.navy.mil.
The Navy’s HURREX/CG exercise is a critical aspect of maintaining the Navy’s readiness to respond to natural disasters in the coastal regions of the United States. The 2022 hurricane season, despite fewer storms and hurricanes than previous years, has been a costly reminder of the need to be prepared. HURREX/CG exercises help the Navy maintain personnel safety in times of crisis by providing installation personnel with the specific training needed to prepare for and respond to storms.
This year’s exercise will take place over a two-week period and will focus on monitoring the evolution of the storm system along the US Atlantic coast during the first week and recovery procedures during the second week. The exercise will also include a Black Start exercise to test backup power generation assets to determine if the base can conduct critical missions in an extended power outage environment.
As the Navy takes steps to ensure facility readiness in the event of a natural disaster, personnel are also encouraged to take charge of their own preparedness and planning. The NFAAS is a critical resource for locating Navy personnel and their family members during a crisis or natural disaster to ensure their safety, and the resources available to Navy families to assist them. to prepare for a disaster can save lives in times of crisis.
As the HURREX/CG exercise approaches, installation personnel and personnel are reminded to take storm preparedness seriously and do their part to maintain preparedness and security in times of crisis.