Disaster Scenario Exercise for Organizational Planning

Transcription

1 Disaster Scenario Exercise for Organizational Planning [TIMING OF SLIDE: 5 minutes] In advance of conducting this exercise, the Facilitator should distribute the organization s emergency plan if one exists, to invitees, as advanced reading. The Facilitator may also contact local and state emergency managers and community responders for input on this exercise in advance, such as input on current local emergency management issues that may impact the organization s planning. The Role Of the Facilitator is to create a framework to encourage dialogue and steer discussions to meet the objectives of this exercise, inform the organization s emergency plans, create teamwork and educate participants. FACILITATOR: I d like to welcome you to our Disaster Scenario Exercise, where our organization will prepare to respond to and recover from a major disaster, in this case a Category 5 hurricane and resulting inland flooding and tornadoes. Major hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage not only to coastal states but to inland communities as well, in fact the majority of fatalities from hurricanes are caused by flooding from the severe rains of these tropical systems. For this reason, this exercise can teach us lessons on preparing for catastrophic damage caused by major flooding, tornado and other natural disasters. This exercise is based on the National Planning Scenario for a major hurricane developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the federal interagency community. This exercise was developed by FEMA s Office of External Affairs together with FEMA s National Exercise Division. Housekeeping [NOTE: Customize these to your organization s operations and policies] The exercise may take us up to four hours to complete. We will take one 15 minute break approximately half way through the exercise. Please quiet your mobile phones and only use them in an emergency. Note that restrooms are located [where], and emergency exits are located [where]. 1

2 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 10 minutes] [FACILITATOR explains why the organization is asking participants to invest time in this exercise. This exercise is designed to help us improve Organizational Continuity, Preparedness and Resiliency and in the event of an emergency, to respond, recover and restore operations. provides background on their organization s process of emergency planning if one exists, and how this exercise fits into that process or for some organizations, this exercise may be part of the early stages of your organization s planning. provides background on their organization s status of emergency planning. explains which team members within the organization oversee the process of emergency planning.]

3 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 10 minutes] FACILITATOR: I d like to give you an overview of this exercise. In a moment we will have introductions, since we will be working through this exercise together as a team. After introductions we will begin the exercise and work together through a number of interactive modules covering the stages of disasters prepare, protect, respond, recover and mitigate. Since this is a scenario based exercise, we will be introduced to this incident as if it experiencing it as a real incident. We will discuss what it means to prepare for a major incident, and then we will discuss specific preparations we can take against this storm. Likewise we will discuss what is involved in responding to and recovering from a major incident, and at each stage we will discuss specific actions we can take against this storm and the threats and hazards it presents. Lastly if we have time we will discuss mitigation and actions we can take to mitigate against damage from subsequent storms. We will end the exercise with a hotwash discussion where we will sum up our observations and findings, ideally in a form that will inform our organization s emergency plans.

4 [TIMING OF SLIDE: Depends on number of participants. Estimated minutes.] [NOTE: FACILITATOR introduces himself/herself and can provide some details on his/her relevant experience and background. If the FACILITATOR is working with other facilitators, they will introduce themselves as well. FACILITATOR then allows the players/participants to introduce themselves, their function in or relation to the organization, their experience (if any) in emergency planning, and their goal for participating in this exercise.] 4

5 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 3 minutes] FACILITATOR: The objectives of this exercise are for us to: Create a quality learning environment so this exercise will be beneficial to all of us and to our organization as a whole. Provide a tool for us to use in our emergency planning. Empower our team. Provide a forum for discussing emergency planning. Encourage coordination with local emergency managers On this last bullet, emergency planners within organizations like ours can benefit from coordinating planning with local emergency managers and law enforcement, and if appropriate with state and federal emergency managers. The community will be more resilient if public and private sector representatives are working together. 5

6 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 2 minutes] FACILITATOR: The rules for this exercise are to: Relax this is a no fault, low stress exercise, the more we work as a team, the more successful the exercise will be. Respond based on your current capability. Allow for artificialities of the scenario it s a tool. Feel free to improvise think outside the box. 6

7 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 3 minutes] FACILITATOR: The scenario we will exercise will represent a Category 5 hurricane Sustained winds will reach 160 mph, with a storm surge almost 20 feet above normal. As the storm moves closer to land, massive evacuations will be required. Certain low lying escape routes will be flooded starting at five hours before landfall. As the storm moves across inland states, it will stall, impacting communities with sustained tropical wind and rain, inland flooding and tornadoes. Here are some other impacts to expect: Casualties 1,000 fatalities, 5,000 hospitalizations Infrastructure Damage Buildings destroyed, large amounts of debris on streets and transit ways Evacuations/Displaced Persons 1 million evacuated 150,000 seek shelter in safe areas 200,000 homes destroyed Contamination From hazardous materials in some areas Economic Impact Billions of dollars Recovery Timeline Months to years 7

8 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 2 minutes] FACILITATOR: Emergency management is an organized process by which organizations and communities: Prepare for and Protect against hazards. Respond to emergencies that occur. Recover from emergencies to restore the community to its pre emergency condition. Mitigate risks. The degree to which emergency management is effective depends heavily on the emergency planning process. 8

9 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 8 minutes] FACILITATOR: The bullets here list actions an organization should take to prepare and protect its facilities and people. If a disaster occurs, an organization needs to ensure that its employees, customers, vendors, partners, members, and/or visitors are ready to get through it safely, and respond to it and recover from it effectively. An organization will need a plan for what it ll do if essential services break down, a plan for contingencies. An organization should exercise the plan well before a disaster threatens. An organization ideally will work with local emergency managers and first responders, to develop and exercise an Emergency Operations Plan. To protect the population, local and state officials will have planned: alerts; activation and notification; traffic and access control; protection of special populations; resource support and requests for assistance; and public information activities. If a hurricane threatens, state agencies will be working to: Identify food distribution centers, identify any gaps in resources; stand up emergency operations and share situational awareness with stakeholders; Perform community outreach for evacuations and shelters as necessary; Protect the health and welfare of citizens. FEMA & federal partners will be working to: Coordinate with states; Pre position resources and supplies; Provide technical assistance to state and local responders ; share situational awareness, Coordinate disaster declaration if necessary. 9

10 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 5 minutes] [FACILITATOR: PLAY EMBEDDED VIDEO] VNN ANCHOR Good morning, welcome to VNN. The National Hurricane Center is warning this morning that Hurricane Hanna has strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 storm and it s tracking toward our greater metropolitan area. Models indicate possible landfall over the region as early as Thursday morning. But forecasters are not sure if the storm will strengthen or weaken over the next few days. The Governor is not taking chances, she has ordered the evacuation of all citizens and tourists within 10 miles of the coast, that means over a million people are evacuating from the metro area and coastal regions. Local highways are already jammed with traffic, and some gas stations have already run out of gas. The Hurricane Center is warning that if Hanna strengthens to Category 5, many homes and buildings will be damaged or destroyed. Mobile homes are especially vulnerable, they could be completely destroyed. Any building that is unsound could collapse. With the storm surge and rains, there could be major damage to lower floors of all buildings located up to 15 feet above sea level and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Again the Governor has ordered a mandatory evacuation for everyone within 10 miles of the coast. 10

11 [TIMING OF SLIDE: minutes] [FACILITATOR LEADS discussion. Captures contributed ideas on butcher paper, laptop or other media.] [In addition to these questions, FACILITATOR can prompt the participants with more specific questions customized to your organization.] [After a minute discussion, allow participants to take a break.] FACILITATOR When you return from your break, Hurricane Hanna will make landfall, on a target straight for our facilities. 11

12 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 15 minutes] FACILITATOR gives participants a break of approximately 15 minutes. 12

13 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 8 minutes] FACILITATOR: The bullets shown here are actions taken in the response stage after a disaster. When we have notice of a probable disaster such as an approaching hurricane, response begins before the disaster strikes. This phase involves mobilizing and positioning emergency equipment; confirming location of employees/constituents and getting them out of danger; providing needed food, water, shelter, and medical services; initiating organization continuity actions; and identifying any barriers to bringing damaged services and systems back on line. Local responders, government agencies, and private organizations take action, ideally working as a team following planning done well before the emergency. When the destruction goes beyond local and State capabilities, the state Governor requests Federal assistance and support. Organizations like ours will be focused on such actions as: Keeping employees safe; Executing emergency plans; Securing facilities; Coordinating and Supporting First Responders; Assisting our community at large if time and resources allow. In a hurricane scenario, state and federal agencies will be working to: Deploy first responders; Perform Search and Rescue; Prioritize life saving measures ; Maintain shelters; Distribute food, water and supplies; Roll out Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC); and Provide situational awareness to the public private response team. 13

14 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 8 minutes] [FACILITATOR plays video] VNN ANCHOR: Good evening, welcome back to VNN Hurricane Hanna made landfall this morning as a Category 5 storm, making a direct hit on the metropolitan area. The city has been hit hard by sustained 160 mph winds and over 20 inches of rain have fallen in the past 24 hours. Hanna s storm surge was over 18 feet and it broke through seawalls and flooded neighborhoods. The storm has moved North of us now, and search and rescue operations are underway. We ve heard reports of victims trapped in collapsed buildings, and others stranded by floodwaters. Utility companies meanwhile are reporting that over a million customers are without power, and utility crews are fighting to restore at least temporary power to critical facilities. The state is also working with federal officials and private companies on restoring communications, transportation, water, and other critical infrastructure. The Governor reported from the emergency operations center a few minutes ago that the state is struggling to clear roads and bypasses so residents can get to shelters and safe areas. The region s mass transit system is calling on private transportation companies for backup. Police departments throughout the region are working to maintain order and protect property. Meanwhile with so many homes and buildings destroyed, the Governor is identifying additional temporary shelter and housing, the state is working with FEMA, the Red Cross and other federal agencies to create temporary shelters. Since the evacuation was ordered three days ago, many residents have been staying in hotels and motels. The area s hospitals are also overwhelmed, they re taking in large numbers of survivors, but they re also trying to shore up their own facilities which in many cases have been damaged and flooded. The hospitals say they need more critical medical supplies, they need help evacuating patients from damaged facilities, and, as a grim sign of the scope of this disaster, they even need help with mortuary services and victim identification. 14

15 [TIMING OF SLIDE: minutes] [FACILITATOR leads a discussion, using some or all of these questions. Capture contributed ideas on butcher paper, laptop or other media. In addition to these general questions, FACILITATOR can prompt the participants with more specific questions customized to your organization.] What equipment do we need and who s in charge? What s our evacuation plan? How do we distribute emergency supplies? How will we restore damaged services and systems? Who is the Point of Contact for local responders, government agencies, and other impacted private organizations? we coordinate our efforts with community response? If looting affects our organization or neighborhood, what do we do? Including, what do we do when the emergency scene is also a crime scene? What tasks must be completed immediately, and by whom? How will we notify employees, responders, neighbors, government, community, media, and others of any emergency conditions at our facilities? How will we communicate if certain communications systems are down? 15

16 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 8 minutes] FACILITATOR: Recovery is the task of rebuilding after a disaster. This process can take months, even years and require rebuilding of services and infrastructure, facilities and operations, and the lives and livelihoods of many thousands of people. Recovery planning identifies the long range actions needed to return the organization to its normal operations as quickly and completely as possible, and may involve: Medical issues; Psychological issues; Infrastructure issues; Liability issues; Insurance issues; Documentation issues. An organization like ours will typically: Wait for word to return; Assess damages and take pictures; Compile and report damages to our insurance company; Clean up; Coordinate efforts with public sector recovery team States will be working to: Reestablish infrastructure; Implement temporary disaster housing plan; Lead the recovery; Budget for long term recovery FEMA and federal partners will be working to: Produce Preliminary Damage Assessments; Publicize federal assistance available; Maintain Joint Field Office in support of state; Establish long term recovery effort where appropriate; Support communities to return to pre disaster tax base level within five years.

17 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 8 minutes] FACILITATOR PLAYS EMBEDDED VIDEO. ANCHOR: Good evening, welcome to VNN. Since Hurricane Hanna made landfall last week, communities all across the region, from the coast to hundreds of miles inland, are struggling to recover. The slow moving storm brought severe winds and rains and tornadoes, causing catastrophic flooding throughout the region. At least four states reported record rainfall, and most of the fatalities have been due to flooding. Survivors throughout the region still need emergency food and water, as well as ice to preserve food until power is restored. Utility companies are saying they need another week or more to restore power in some neighborhoods. Responders are also working hard to provide temporary roofing to homes and businesses that have damaged roofs, and to provide temporary housing to the thousands who have lost their homes. The states and FEMA have established locations where residents can get emergency supplies and water, there are points of distribution in many communities where supermarkets and other food stores are still closed or damaged. The state is warning citizens that the public water supply has been breached by toxic chemicals and sewage from treatment plants. Residents should not use public water for drinking, washing hands or bathing. But some neighborhoods are still flooded and unreachable, so residents are fending for themselves. Some have resorted to looting local businesses for groceries, electronics and more. State and federal environmental cleanup teams are trying to contain the breach to the public water supply. Local emergency managers are taking a number of steps to inform and protect residents, including reverse 911 calls and even sending officers into the streets with bullhorns. Hurricane Hanna has devastated communities across the region. We have reports of more than 1,000 fatalities, and 5,000 critical or serious injuries.

18 [TIMING OF SLIDE: minutes] [FACILITATOR leads a discussion, using some or all of these questions. Capture contributed ideas on butcher paper, laptop or other media. In addition to these general questions, FACILITATOR can prompt the participants with more specific questions customized to your organization.] What are long term environmental effects? How could this affect our operations? How do we ensure continuity of operations (COOP)? Can we operate without municipal services or utilities? Do we have generators and other back up utilities? Will our employees miss work, e.g. to attend to family if schools are closed? How will we repair structural and physical damage? How will we restore disrupted services? How will we clean the facility and remove all health and safety hazards? How will we resume operations, toward returning to normal operations? (especially important if a portion of the building is damaged to such a degree that operations must be relocated temporarily.) How will we document any damaged facilities or equipment on video or photographs? How will we track staff and volunteer time and labor involved in the cleanup? Do we have policies to allow flexibility to displaced employees, such as policies for working half days, alternate sites, mobile sites, and teleworking?

19 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 8 minutes] [NOTE: Slide is optional, depending on available time.] FACILITATOR: Hazard Mitigation means any action taken to reduce or eliminate the longterm risk to human life and property from hazards. Some hazards cannot be mitigated; others are too costly to mitigate. Many nonstructural hazards in a facility can be mitigated easily and inexpensively. Mitigation of community risks is probably beyond the control of our organization s officials. However, our emergency planning teams should work closely with the local Emergency Manager and responders to learn: What hazards have been identified in the community. What steps the community is taking to mitigate community wide risks. How our organization s officials can help. Experts in emergency management and response, risk management, structural engineering, and psychological tragedy response may suggest ways to mitigate hazards at our facilities. After our planners have the necessary information about existing hazards and mitigation possibilities, we can identify the costs of mitigation and steps to be taken. 19

20 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 20 minutes] [NOTE: This is an open discussion that occurs immediately after the tabletop exercise and is conducted by the facilitator. The objective of the hot wash is to review events or key decisions that took place during the exercise and to provide an opportunity for participants to describe any immediate lessons learned and to identify barriers/gaps in mounting an effective response. All participants are free to contribute and are encouraged to do so. Consider soliciting feedback on this exercise and/or the FACILITATORs ability through an evaluation survey at the end of the hot wash.] 20

21 [TIMING OF SLIDE: 3 minutes] [FACILITATOR encourages participants to visit these online resources for tools and more information. FACILITATOR can add additional links and resources here.]

22 For more information on this exercise, contact: FEMA Office of External Affairs, Private Sector Division 500 C St. SW Washington, DC FEMA private sector@dhs.gov 22