Eglin gets ready for hurricane season

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  For some, the Memorial Day weekend kicks off the start of the summer along the Gulf Coast. For others, June 1 marks the start of summer when the hurricane season begins. 

There's no certainty that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2008 prediction of up to 16 named storms and up to five major hurricanes is accurate. However, what is accurate is that being prepared is critical to surviving the hurricane season. 

The base began planning early for this year's hurricane season. Several highly successful practice events led up to this week's final Hurricane Exercise "Lynda." Included was a tabletop exercise for leadership from all wings across the base and Duke Field. The Eglin Mobile Emergency Operations Center was stood up to test capabilities in the event it is needed during a real-world event. In early May, Hurricane "Rosie" was the final dress rehearsal leading up to the exercise this week. 

"This series of escalating Eglin exercise events has postured and prepared the installation for the upcoming season...and we'll continue to ensure our plans and teams remain ready," said 96th Air Base Wing vice Commander Col. Rick LoCastro. "During the past few months, we 'crawled, walked, jogged, and now we are running.'" 

Colonel LoCastro said hurricane exercises get both the civilian and military population ready regardless of the size of the storm. 

"Across the board, the base needs to weather the storm, evacuate expeditiously and quickly recover," Colonel LoCastro said. "The military takes great pride in handling these situations, continuing the mission and then standing back up after the storm passes. This exercise helps us prepare for that." 

EOC Director, Lt. Col. Rob Lyman, faced several challenges while being in charge of the center. He took off his 96th Communications Squadron commander hat and handed it to his deputy so all his efforts could focus on the task at hand. It was his first hurricane exercise as director and his first full hurricane season in Florida. 

"There's a lot of moving parts and it's good to know what to expect," the colonel said. "There's a real value in the units calling in, running checklists and working together through challenges. It forces you to think it through now to be able to reach out when the real thing happens." 

Colonel Lyman said there are new people on base every year and for that reason alone, exercising is important. 

"A lot of our military people play critical roles in the emergency management process," he said. "They need to prepare their families and be prepared in their jobs to make sure everyone is ready." 

Another way people can get ready is to familiarize themselves with Eglin's public web page. The page, located at www.eglin.af.mil, is an important link for all the latest information. In the past, the base newspaper carried a hurricane insert; now, that information is available by clicking the hurricane link on Eglin's home page. The page lists everything from common terms to a family disaster kit checklist. And, if a storm strikes and the base is evacuated, all return-to-work information will be posted on that site. The site can be updated from a remote location, so the information will be current even if the power is out on base. 

"Preparation, education, and communication are three key elements to ensure the base is ready to face this year's hurricane season," Colonel LoCastro concluded.