CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa, Japan -- Marine Corps Installations Pacific will conduct Exercise Typhoon Ready 2013 April 22-26 to prepare service members and status of forces agreement personnel for typhoon season by rehearsing communication procedures, personal safety and equipment readiness.
Making preparations internally ensures commanders are prepared to implement all safety procedures during a typhoon, from the preliminary command announcements to making sure everybody has prepared an emergency typhoon kit, according to Michael Lacey, installations emergency manager for G-3/5, operations, training and plans, MCIPAC.
“TR 13 is the first step in the annual process that we go through for typhoon season,” said Lacey.
Typhoons are tropical storms that produce strong winds and heavy rain and are known to cause power outages and affect other utilities, according to Glen U. Andrews, operations and training officer, G-3/5, MCIPAC.
“An important factor for preparation of typhoon season is educating newer people on the island,” said Andrews. “Preparation is continuous throughout the typhoon season, and commands will educate their personnel, who will in turn educate their civilian counterparts.”
During typhoon season, it is important service members ensure communication between camps is open and working and understand what procedures and coordination are involved, according to Carl D. Hinson, the emergency management analyst for G-3/5.
“It is simply a matter of understanding the standard operating procedures and making sure that new personnel understand what their roles and responsibilities are,” said Hinson. “It better prepares us to make sure that those present when a typhoon occurs know how to react because it could be a destructive storm.”
Typhoon season is from June 1 to November 30, and TR-13 will help commanders inform their personnel about the dangers and procedures for typhoons, according to Hinson.
“TR-13 is really great because it establishes a plan of action in preparing for typhoons to help commands and service members prepare,” said Hinson.
For more information regarding typhoon protocol and safety measures, visit http://weather.kadenaforcesupport.com/update/tccor.htm or http://www.ready.gov/natural-disasters.