Exercise Overview

The purpose of the Operation Neighbor Tabletop Exercise was to assess the capabilities of the Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Program (NEPP) community in Florida's Holmes County during an activation of their plans due to a tornado striking their community.

After the twister strikes members of the NEPP came together as part of a unified team of knowledgeable citizens to support community response and recovery activities.

During the exercise NEPP members:

• Established a concept of operations that spans the direction and coordination of the team from initial monitoring of severe weather through response and recovery.

• Established operational goals and objectives for the preparedness, response and recovery phases of the community.

• Established strategies and assumptions for a comprehensive integrated response to the tornado.

The Operation Neighbor Tabletop Exercise was facilitated via an internet based application entitled the ON-Line eXercise (ONX) System.

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

Exercise Scenario

It is mid March and the severe weather associated with a cold front moving through the region prompts the National Weather Service to issue a Tornado Watch for North Florida from 4:00AM until 12:00PM.

At 10:11AM, meteorologists at the National Weather Service notice what appears to be the formation of a tornado on their Doppler weather radar. They immediately issue a Tornado Warning.

Over the next several hours, numerous Tornado Warnings are issued throughout the area.

Exercise Conclusion