Exercise Overview

Florida's Jackson County Emergency Management Department undertook an initiative to assess the current capabilities of organizations and agencies charged with providing assistance to the county's disabled, transportation disadvantaged, senior citizens and limited or non-English speaking residents.

In addition, the Hurricane ADA Tabletop Exercise assisted in measuring the overall disaster readiness level of the county's most disaster vulnerable citizens.

The Hurricane ADA Tabletop Exercise was facilitated via an internet based application entitled ON-Line eXercise (ONX) System which allowed each organization to participate in the exercise from their office.

Exercise Scenario

It is late August and local citizens have been following the approach of Hurricane ADA as it moves through the eastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico. Projections from the National Hurricane Center indicate that the storm will make a left turn and head towards Texas.

The turn to the west never comes and in the early morning hours the storm slams into the coastline south of Jackson County with strong category two winds and a storm surge on top of a high tide.

As the storm moves out of the area and emergency response teams begin to assist area residents, the various faith and community based organizations along with governmental agencies work to maintain operations so they can continue to support the needs of the county's disabled, transportation disadvantaged, senior citizens and limited or non-English speaking residents.

Exercise Conclusion

The Hurricane ADA Tabletop Exercise was held on the morning of September 16 2010 with organizations participating from throughout North Florida.