This document will guide you through facilitating a response drill for hurricanes. It presents a disaster scenario, discussion topics, and steps for completing the documentation and conducting a debrief. 

For a quick walkthrough or rapid scenario planning discussion (15-minute discussions over coffee or during a regularly scheduled meeting), focus on steps 1 through 3. To conduct a tabletop or functional exercise, complete all the tasks below. The preliminary set-up for a drill is outlined in the document titled “How to Conduct a Drill” in the Ready Rating Resource Center.   

Hurricanes  Hurricanes are intense tropical weather systems consisting of dangerous winds and torrential rains. Hurricanes can spawn tornadoes and can produce a storm surge of ocean water that can be up to 24 feet (7.3 m) at its peak and 50 to 100 miles (80-160 km) wide. A storm is classified as a hurricane if its wind speed is at least 117 km (72 mph) per hour, while a tropical storm is one classification below a hurricane, with winds between 62 and 117 km/h (38 – 72 mph). However, a tropical storm can still cause significant devastation.  

The most destructive companion of hurricanes is the storm surge causing floods. Impacts can be regional and severe. Damage to facilities can be extreme. Fallen trees and power supply lines can block roadways. 
Additional sources of information for the scenario  U.S.: Red Cross – Disaster – Hurricane  

Canada: Hurricanes: Information & Facts – Canadian Red Cross 
Resources you may wish to consider or use during the drill  U.S. National Hurricane Center or Canadian Hurricane Centre, local radio stations, adverse weather plan, emergency medical and first aid kits, fire department, emergency response team, safety and fire wardens, emergency notification system, and storm equipment. 

 

#  Tasks 
1  The facilitator provides introductions, presents drill objectives, and sets the ground rules. For more details, see ‘’.  
2  The facilitator introduces the scenario. Provide time and location. Describe immediate impacts on people, operations, or services, as well as the availability and engagement of resources. 

SAMPLE SCENARIO 

Strong winds have been sweeping through the area in the last 12 hours and the community is currently under a hurricane warning. Local leaders are urging residents and businesses to prepare for possible storm impact. At [insert time] Environment Canada/the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration predicts landfall in the next 6 to 12 hours. Personnel have reported damages to their homes and property. [insert appropriate number] are unavailable to come to work. Strong winds have resulted in fallen power lines and downed trees. Some roads are impassable, and communities are experiencing power failures. 
3  Discuss available resources and immediate actions. 

Consider the following: 

  • What type of notification or alarms would be activated in this situation? 
  • What actions need to be taken to ensure personnel safety? 
  • What are the current and potential impacts on personnel assets, services, and critical business processes? 
  • What will you need to communicate with personnel, customers, or business partners? Who is responsible for drafting the communication? What method of communication will you use? 
  • How will you address the needs of your customers? 
  • What considerations do you need to make regarding the impact on individual personnel and their families? 
  • What immediate financial costs might be incurred and how do you plan to manage them? 
  • How will you manage staffing?  
  • How are you going to monitor the situation? 
  • What actions do you need to take to continue business operations? 
  • What actions do you need to take to recover processes that have been interrupted? 

If you are conducting a functional exercise, some or all the response actions should be simulated. 
4  Document key discussions, actions, and decision points. 

  • Document the actions that should be taken, the required resources, and the individual(s) or group(s) responsible. 
  • Responses should be as complete as possible. 
  • Revisit and review the discussion points if the scenario involves additional ‘injects’. 

These should be compared to what is in existing plans. Where necessary, after-action items should be assigned to revise plans. 
5  Conduct a debrief. Discuss the following: 

  • Did you meet the drill/exercise objectives? 
  • What went well? 
  • What challenges did you face? 
  • How can you improve? 
  • Are there any gaps, changes, and/or additions that need to be made to your plan(s)? For any action items, ensure that you document responsibility and deadlines.  
6  Document the drill/exercise and lessons learned. The following forms can be used for this documentation: 

  • Drill/Exercise History Form  
  • After-Action Report 

For any action items, ensure that you document responsibility and deadlines.