This document will guide you through facilitating a response drill for tornadoes. 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 discussion) 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” on the Ready Rating Resource Centre.   

Tornadoes  A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 mph (483 km/h). Damage paths can be more than one mile (1.6 km) wide and 50 miles (80 km) long. Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still. There is little or no warning, however, it usually develops near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. 
Additional sources of information for the scenario  U.S.: Tornado Safety Tips | Tornado Preparedness | Red Cross 

Canada: Tornadoes (getprepared.gc.ca) 
Resources you may wish to consider or use during the drill  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 ‘How to Conduct a Drill.  
2  The facilitator introduces the scenario. Provide the time and location. Describe immediate impacts on people, operations, or services, as well as the availability and engagement of resources. 

SAMPLE SCENARIO 

Thunderstorms developed in your area approximately 2 hours ago and a tornado warning was issued shortly after local media reported the sighting of a funnel cloud approximately 10 miles (16 km) away. At [insert time] there is a very loud rumbling noise, the lights go out and the building begins to vibrate. There is the sound of breaking glass and flying debris is visible as you look outside the window. The sound intensifies and then gradually fades. 

Initial assessments indicate that the building has suffered extensive damage. Personnel and customers are concerned about their families. Debris from the EF-2 tornado has made roads impassable. Utilities and telecommunications are unavailable throughout town. 
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 to 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.