FORT BUCHANAN, PUERTO RICO- Representatives of military units, tenants, and other federal organizations, including the Army Reserve, National Guard, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and the Department of Defense Education Activity, participated in the installation's Hurricane Rehearsal of Concept exercise, July 29 at the headquarters.
During the exercise, which included a notional scenario 72 hours before a landfall of a 58 miles per hour cyclone, each representative identified their organization's priority of effort, priority of work, potential needs for support, and pending actions to achieve preparedness.
Col. John D. Samples, Fort Buchanan commanding officer, initiated the encounter with the exercise's intent.
"In the event that we have a hurricane this year, we must be prepared. The intent behind this encounter is to go through what we do as an organization, identify any synergies, areas of support, and, as always, ensure we take care of our people," said Col. John D. Samples, Fort Buchanan commanding officer.
Meanwhile, José A. Ortiz Rosario, installation emergency manager, effectively connected the readiness of Fort Buchanan with the well-being of local communities during an emergency.
"As the home of the Army in the Caribbean, and a readiness enabler platform for all military units in the region, it is important that Fort Buchanan remains operational during an emergency, so we can facilitate the assistance that our troops provide to local communities in case of an emergency," said José A. Ortiz Rosario, installation emergency manager.
Sgt. 1st Class Florencio Dearce, noncommissioned officer in charge of the Puerto Rico National Guard Joint Operations Center, described what the organization would be doing to prepare for landfall.
"Our priority at this phase is to preposition vehicles and equipment, to be ready to support the community when needed. We will also review our requirements with the installation's Logistical Readiness Center, to ensure we have what we need to accomplish our mission," said Dearce.
Edwidg Pedre, Army Community Service, Personal Financial Readiness Specialist, expressed the need to communicate the availability of the Army Emergency Relief program to the thousands of troops around the island.
"In the preparation phase, the Fort Buchanan commander, in coordination with Installation Command, determines the appropriate authorization to aid soldiers in Puerto Rico. In that way, we can start offering financial assistance quickly. It is important to note that the Army Emergency Relief is now online, which makes it easier for Soldiers, retirees, and survivors to apply for help. Since there is no need to access the installation in the middle of an emergency, the process will be more convenient. That is an essential element during a possible hurricane emergency," said Pedre.
Another participant was Jeffrey Daniels, DODEA emergency operations manager.
"Our priority is the safety of our students, teachers, and staff. We plan to sustain our communication with the installation staff to ensure the community is aware of what we are doing. We want to act 24 hours ahead of the potential closing of the base, because our families must make plans. We've got to get them home with enough time to react before any hurricane," said Daniels.
At the end of the drill, the team evaluated the existing coordination between all agencies.
"I am glad to see that all our tenants and other outside organizations came ready to be part of this critical exercise. It is important that we all update our emergency rosters with accurate information, so we can keep all stakeholders accurately informed. Now is the time to be ready," said Marrero.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
With an annual investment in the local economy of over $500 million, Fort Buchanan serves a diverse military community comprised of approximately 15,000 active duty, Reserve, National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, and Navy Reserve personnel.
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