By Andrew Damstedt, NSAB staff writer

Naval Support Activity Bethesda (NSAB) is set to participate in a hurricane and destructive weather readiness training May 9-20.

The annual exercise known as Hurrex-Citadel Gale 2016 is designed to test Naval District Washington installations on their readiness to respond to severe weather. As part of the exercise NSAB will prepare for a Category 1 Hurricane that will make landfall near Joint Base Anacostia Bolling and will result in heavy rain and floods on NSAB.

NSAB Emergency Management Officer Ron Kunz said this exercise is geared toward getting prepared for hurricane season, which starts June 1 and lasts until November.

“It’s to get people to start thinking about, ‘What if this was a real hurricane coming?’” he said. “It’s a good opportunity to remind everyone to make sure they have plans not only at work, but at home.”

There are checklists that each tenant command will go over to make sure they know NSAB’s Destructive Weather Plan and their responsibilities during such an event. For example, Kunz said some commands, when preparing for a storm, should make sure all their vehicles have a full tank of gasoline or notify maintenance of any broken windows or leaks in buildings.

May 18, there will be a mock Emergency Family Assistance Center set up in Building 11 where the Fleet and Family Support Center and American Red Cross will go through training on how to care for people who need assistance after a severe weather event.

Kunz said it is a good idea for each person to have a disaster supplies go-kit, which would include bottled water and a three-to-five day supply of non-perishable food, a first aid kit, cash and any important documents. For more information on creating a go-kit, visit www.ready.gov/hurricane-toolkit or www.ready.navy.mil.

NSAB notifies personnel of potential severe weather through several outlets including Everbridge weather alerts, emails and Postmaster notifications.

After a disaster, the Navy and Marine Corps use the Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System (NFAAS) to, determine the status and needs of Navy and Marine service members, employees, and their families. NFAAS is accessible online at https://navyfamily.navy.mil.

The Army uses the U.S. Army Disaster Personnel Accountability and Assessment System, https://adpaas.army.mil/cas/login; the Air Force uses the Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System, https://afpaas.af.mil/cas/login;and the Coast Guard uses the Coast Guard Personnel Accountability and Assessment System, https://cgpaas.uscg.mil/cas/login.

Department of Defense employees and contractors will assemble through their specific chain of command.

Hurrex-Citadel Gale 2016 is taking place during National Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 15-21. Some of the recommendations on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website, www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/hurricane_preparedness.html, include determining risk for various weather events, developing an evacuation plan, checking on insurance levels, making any repairs necessary to a home and developing a written hurricane plan.