Exercise Overview

The Be Ready Alliance Coordinating For Emergencies and the Okaloosa County Emergency Management Department have undertaken an effort to develop and facilitate this unique workplace disaster exercise opportunity.

Will the high winds and flooding of the next major hurricane hit your business?

Do you have a plan in place to keep your doors open after the hurricane strikes?

Has your plan been tested?

“Hurricane Biz” is an online tabletop exercise designed to help owners and managers of businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies, along with their employees, to assess the capabilities and capacity of their disaster response plan in regards to a hurricane.

During the exercise, management and staff will have the opportunity to work together as a unified disaster response team. The team will work through the various activities associated with preparing for, then responding to and recovering from, a category two hurricane. Whether you have a disaster plan in place that you want to assess, or if you are looking for a compelling reason develop one, “Hurricane Biz” will provide you with both the tools and experience to help you reach your goal.

This exercise will be facilitated via an internet based application entitled the ON-Line eXercise (ONX) System which will allow a business's management and staff to participate in the exercise from anywhere, from multiple locations including their normal base of operation.

Information on the ONX System can be found at ONXSystem.com.

Private Sector Preparedness

This exercise is aligned with the goals and objectives of FEMA's Private Sector Preparedness (PS-Prep) initiative.

Exercise Testimonials

Access a list of testimonials from businesses and organizations that have participated in previous Hurricane Biz Tabletop Exercises.

Exercise Scenario

It is mid August and local citizens have been complacent in their hurricane preparedness activities because this year's hurricane season has not even seen its first Tropical Storm. Families are making their last minute plans for their summer vacations while local business owners are thinking that the hurricane season could be very inconsequential. However weather forecasters are predicting a major change in the atmosphere that could see a sharp increase in the number and severity of hurricanes within the next few weeks.

By late August local residents and business owners begin to follow the projected path of the season's first Tropical Storm. Soon the storm strengthens into Hurricane Biz as it continues its forward movement. The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor the storm via satellite and Hurricane Hunter planes as it continues to intensify.

Hurricane Biz has stayed true to the course that has been predicted by the National Hurricane Center and has grown into a mid-sized category two storm.

During the previous 24 hours the forward movement of Hurricane Biz has increased and the National Hurricane Center has now posted a Hurricane Watch along the coastline indicating that the storm should be making landfall within the next 24 to 36 hours.

Exercise Participation Information