HURREX-Citadel Gale 2023 to Test Base Hurricane Preparedness, Electric Grid Readiness
From NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs
Naval installations in the National Capital Region are preparing for the Navy’s annual Hurricane Exercise/Citadel Gale 2023 (HURREX/CG) scheduled to take place 24 April to 5 May, 2023 including Naval Support Activities Washington, South Potomac, and Bethesda; Naval Activity Annapolis; and Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
With this year’s hurricane season fast approaching (June 1-Nov. 30), HURREX/CG, led by U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Commander, Navy Installations Command, prepares the Navy to respond to adverse weather conditions in U.S. coastal regions and maintain the ability to deploy forces under the most severe conditions. It also tests the response times for accounting for Sailors, Department of Navy civilians and families in affected regions via the Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System (NFAAS).
This year’s exercise comes on the heels of a particularly damaging hurricane season. While 2022’s Atlantic hurricane season had only 14 total storms and eight hurricanes, it was one of the costliest on record due to Hurricane Ian, which alone cost more than $113 billion dollars in damage and was noted to be Florida’s deadliest hurricane since 1935. Exercises such as HURREX/CG aim to train installation staff in the particulars of storm readiness and response.
“The purpose of the HURREX/CG exercise is to prepare our personnel for the impacts of a destructive weather event such as a hurricane,” explained Capt. Derrick Kingsley, NAS Patuxent River commanding officer. “And just like our security exercises, the primary goal is to maintain the safety of personnel in the event of an emergency. The moment disaster strikes is never the time to figure out how to respond, so we train like fight.”
Conducted over a two-week period, the first week of the exercise includes tracking the storm system’s evolution along the U.S. Atlantic coast, simulating upgrades to the installation’s Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness (TCCOR). Other planned simulations include ship sorties, aircraft evacuations, base evacuations and disaster preparedness / response. The second week shifts focus to procedures for recovery, including lifting evacuation orders, reopening installations, and conducting damage assessments.
NAS Patuxent River will additionally incorporate impacts to power infrastructure on base by combining HURREX/CG with a Black Start exercise, an Energy Resilience Readiness Exercise (ERRE).
“A Black Start Exercise, per the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act is ‘an exercise in which commercial utility power at the installation is dropped before backup generation assets start,’” said Lt. Cmdr. Paul Hill, NAS Patuxent River Public Works Division operations officer. “Overall, it is a real world test of our backup power generation assets to determine if we can conduct critical missions in a prolonged power outage environment.”
Hill explained that a controlled power outage lasting 2- to 4-hours is scheduled for a majority of operational areas on base to accurately test the likely scenario of power/electrical impacts during and following a destructive storm.
Base leadership is working with leadership form other commands at Pax River ensure minimal impact is felt as installation staff train during these exercises.
“Early communication with our mission partners is critical, as we saw with our latest Citadel Shield/Solid Curtain Exercise,” said Kingsley. “We want everyone at Pax River to know what to expect during a base-wide power outage. We have systems in place to mitigate impacts; however, there are areas for improvement, and we intend to execute the Black Start exercise to better understand our systems and strive to make our installation more resilient in the event of an actual power outage.”
Anticipated impacts as part of the Black Start exercise are traffic as Pax River Security personnel respond to traffic light outages, as well some network and Test mission delays. The majority of housing areas, the Navy Exchange, Commissary, Clinic, and Child Development Centers will not be impacted by the planned power outage in an effort to minimize impacts to Navy families on base.
While HURREX/CG helps to determine if there are any areas where the region or the installation can improve their ability to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, personnel are encouraged to take charge of their own preparation and planning. Integral to this is keeping information up to date in the Navy Family and Accountability System (NFAAS) and reviewing storm preparedness guidelines from resources such as www.ready.navy.mil or www.ready.gov.
“NFAAS is an essential resource for locating Navy personnel and family members during crisis or natural disasters to ensure they’re safe,” said Kingsley. “And the resources available to our Navy families to help them be prepare for a disaster can literally save their lives in a disaster.”
To register with NFAAS, visit https://navyfamily.navy.mil.
From NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs
Naval installations in the National Capital Region are preparing for the Navy’s annual Hurricane Exercise/Citadel Gale 2023 (HURREX/CG) scheduled to take place 24 April to 5 May, 2023 including Naval Support Activities Washington, South Potomac, and Bethesda; Naval Activity Annapolis; and Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
With this year’s hurricane season fast approaching (June 1-Nov. 30), HURREX/CG, led by U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Commander, Navy Installations Command, prepares the Navy to respond to adverse weather conditions in U.S. coastal regions and maintain the ability to deploy forces under the most severe conditions. It also tests the response times for accounting for Sailors, Department of Navy civilians and families in affected regions via the Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System (NFAAS).
This year’s exercise comes on the heels of a particularly damaging hurricane season. While 2022’s Atlantic hurricane season had only 14 total storms and eight hurricanes, it was one of the costliest on record due to Hurricane Ian, which alone cost more than $113 billion dollars in damage and was noted to be Florida’s deadliest hurricane since 1935. Exercises such as HURREX/CG aim to train installation staff in the particulars of storm readiness and response.
“The purpose of the HURREX/CG exercise is to prepare our personnel for the impacts of a destructive weather event such as a hurricane,” explained Capt. Derrick Kingsley, NAS Patuxent River commanding officer. “And just like our security exercises, the primary goal is to maintain the safety of personnel in the event of an emergency. The moment disaster strikes is never the time to figure out how to respond, so we train like fight.”
Conducted over a two-week period, the first week of the exercise includes tracking the storm system’s evolution along the U.S. Atlantic coast, simulating upgrades to the installation’s Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness (TCCOR). Other planned simulations include ship sorties, aircraft evacuations, base evacuations and disaster preparedness / response. The second week shifts focus to procedures for recovery, including lifting evacuation orders, reopening installations, and conducting damage assessments.
NAS Patuxent River will additionally incorporate impacts to power infrastructure on base by combining HURREX/CG with a Black Start exercise, an Energy Resilience Readiness Exercise (ERRE).
“A Black Start Exercise, per the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act is ‘an exercise in which commercial utility power at the installation is dropped before backup generation assets start,’” said Lt. Cmdr. Paul Hill, NAS Patuxent River Public Works Division operations officer. “Overall, it is a real world test of our backup power generation assets to determine if we can conduct critical missions in a prolonged power outage environment.”
Hill explained that a controlled power outage lasting 2- to 4-hours is scheduled for a majority of operational areas on base to accurately test the likely scenario of power/electrical impacts during and following a destructive storm.
Base leadership is working with leadership form other commands at Pax River ensure minimal impact is felt as installation staff train during these exercises.
“Early communication with our mission partners is critical, as we saw with our latest Citadel Shield/Solid Curtain Exercise,” said Kingsley. “We want everyone at Pax River to know what to expect during a base-wide power outage. We have systems in place to mitigate impacts; however, there are areas for improvement, and we intend to execute the Black Start exercise to better understand our systems and strive to make our installation more resilient in the event of an actual power outage.”
Anticipated impacts as part of the Black Start exercise are traffic as Pax River Security personnel respond to traffic light outages, as well some network and Test mission delays. The majority of housing areas, the Navy Exchange, Commissary, Clinic, and Child Development Centers will not be impacted by the planned power outage in an effort to minimize impacts to Navy families on base.
While HURREX/CG helps to determine if there are any areas where the region or the installation can improve their ability to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, personnel are encouraged to take charge of their own preparation and planning. Integral to this is keeping information up to date in the Navy Family and Accountability System (NFAAS) and reviewing storm preparedness guidelines from resources such as www.ready.navy.mil or www.ready.gov.
“NFAAS is an essential resource for locating Navy personnel and family members during crisis or natural disasters to ensure they’re safe,” said Kingsley. “And the resources available to our Navy families to help them be prepare for a disaster can literally save their lives in a disaster.”
To register with NFAAS, visit https://navyfamily.navy.mil.