Weather in Kansas can be unpredictable year-round. To prepare for the upcoming spring and summer severe weather season, Fort Riley hosted a tabletop exercise March 29. Over 100 participants representing installation and partner agencies throughout the Flint Hills region to include Geary and Riley County and Kansas State University Emergency Management divisions, Junction City and Manhattan Fire Departments, National Weather Service Topeka, and others gathered to practice a synchronized response scenario based on a potential spring and summer weather event.
“Severe weather comes in multiple forms besides tornadoes,” stated Tom Pendleton, Plans Operations Chief for Fort Riley’s Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security. “It can be hail, microbursts which have been an issue here, and flooding. The greatest limitation is the speed at which these storms form, often giving us as little as ten minutes to warn the population of the impending hazard.”
The exercise provides a way to validate Fort Riley emergency procedures in response to a severe weather event, exercise off-post mutual aid support, and synchronize efforts with community partners. The exercise was structured utilizing three modules which summarized the key events within an All-Hazards scenario. Participants reviewed the circumstances presented in the scenario and engaged in functional group discussions to develop appropriate responses.
Fort Riley Garrison Commander, Col. Michael Foote thanked everyone for “coming in today and planning with us, especially our off-post partners. We are here to help but at some point, in a scenario like this we are going to need your help as well. The relationships built in this room, during this exercise, will be what makes Fort Riley and the Flint Hills region successful in saving lives when severe weather strikes.”
In 2022, 56 tornadoes occurred in Kansas with June being the most active month with a reported 22 tornadoes. Last year there were 154 days between the first and last tornado. There were zero fatalities and three injuries total. To ensure Fort Riley soldiers, residents, civilians and visitors are prepared and know where to go, below is a list of designated buildings available for severe weather sheltering. For more information on how to prepare yourself and your family for an emergency, visit https://home.army.mil/riley/index.php/about/dir-staff/DPTMS/ready-army.
Designated buildings are open 24 hours a day and include:
• 1st Brigade Headquarters, 7232 Bamford Street
• 2nd Brigade Headquarters, 7613 Normandy Drive and McGlachlin Street
• 1st Combat Aviation Brigade Headquarters, 804 Marshall Loop, Marshall Army Airfield
• 1st Sustainment Brigade Headquarters, 7824 Hale Street
• DIVARTY Headquarters, 8614 Sustainment Drive
• Fort Riley Police Station, 219 Custer Avenue
• Irwin Army Community Hospital, 650 Huebner Road
Concrete Relocatable Bunker Shelters:
• Camp Funston Bed Down Area, in the vicinity of 4th & H Street
• DFMWR Adventure Park, in the vicinity of 5202 Normandy Drive
• Installation ATV/Dirt Bike recreation area, in the vicinity of Williston Road and Training Area 10
• Installation Training Areas currently have 53 range facilities with concrete storm shelters
The Fort Riley Emergency Management team and its partners plan to host similar training tabletop discussions ahead of the 2023-24 winter season and again in spring 2024.
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