Situation Manual

Multi-Agency Coordination Tabletop Exercise

Time Allotted / 155Minutes
Operation Cohesive Capability – Start Exercise
During the exercise it will be important to remember and comply with the following statements:
  • It is important NOT to jump ahead in the exercise scenario. In other words don’t focus on what might happen, focus on the Common Operating Picture that is presented during the exercise to make informed decisions.
  • In any exercise a number of assumptions and artificialities may be necessary to complete play in the time allotted. During this exercise, the following apply:
  1. The scenario is plausible, and events occur as they are presented.
  2. There is no “hidden agenda”, nor any trick questions.
  • Exercise Basics:
  • This exercise contains a total of 7 scenario pages.
  • Thoroughly review all scenario information as they are presented during the exercise.
  • At the end of the exercise you will need to complete an evaluation (Hotwash) on how your team preformed during the exercise. The Hotwash will consist of your team providing comments on three areas in which it performed well (Strengths) and three areas your team will need to improve upon (Areas for Improvement) to enhance its preparedness, response and recovery capabilities. Found below are Hotwash examples:
Strengths – During the exercise our team consulted our disaster plans and procedures and found them to be complete.
Areas for Improvement – During the exercise our team consulted our disaster plans and procedures and found portions of the plans and procedures that need to be revised.
  • After the exercise each registered participant who took part in the exercise will receive an e-mail to log into the ONX System to complete their Individual Hotwash to access their Certificate of Participation.

Time Allotted / 20 Minutes
Operation Cohesive Capability – Scenario – # 001 / Image of Flood Warning
Day 1 / SaturdayMorning / November 2
At 4:24AM the San Francisco Bay Area / Monterey Forecast Office of the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a Severe Weather Warning for counties throughout the Bay Area. The NWS warning advises that many parts of the region will experience up to 14 inches of rain with winds gusting up to 70 MPH over the next 24 to 36 hours.
At 5:11AM the NWS issues a Flood Warning for all of San Mateo County.
Flood Warning
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NOAA Weather Radios throughout the county sound their alarm due to the Flood Warning being issued.
CLICK ON POD CAST TO PLAY
NOAA Weather Radio Alert
As morning dawn’s residents throughout San Mateo County are waking up to a torrential downpour and very windy conditions.
CLICK ON VIDEO TO PLAY
Video Library – General # 1 – Video # 15 – Heavy Rain
Areas near small streams, drainage canals and poor drainage systems are the first to flood. By 8:00AM flood water has accumulated in low-lying residential areas throughout the county and many roads and streets are impassable as they are covered by flood water or have been completely washed out.
Wind gusts of 65 to 75 MPH have up-rooted trees and toppled power lines causing widespread electrical outages.
Time Allotted / 10Minutes
Operation Cohesive Capability – Scenario – # 002 / Image ofFlooding
Day 1 / Saturday Afternoon / November 2
City and town officials throughout the countyare reporting that thousands of county residents are being driven from their homes. Some of the hardest hit areas are the cities of Foster City, Redwood City, Belmont, Burlingame, San Mateo, San Carlos and the Town of Hillsborough.
Ten inches of rain has fallen according to the NWS and forecasters are predicting another 4 to 5 inches in the hours to come.
Based on current conditions and existing plans and procedures review and thoroughly discuss the following issues. Be prepared to present your findings when called upon.
  • Agency / Organization Priorities
  • What initial actions will your agency / organization take?
  • What are yourfirst priorities?
  • Multi-Agency Coordination System (MAC)
  • At what point will a MAC be activated?
  • Who will be included in the MAC?
  • Resources
  • What resources do you need?
  • Where will you get them?
  • How will that process take place?
  • Communications
  • How will you share information within your own agency / organization,with other agencies / organizations and with the general public?
  • With whom are you communicating?
  • How will this take place?
  • Coordination
  • What type of coordination will take place at this at this point?
  • With whom will you be coordinating?

Time Allotted / 20Minutes
Operation Cohesive Capability – Scenario – # 003 / Image of Road Closed
Day 1 / Saturday Evening / November 2
The following Common Operation Picturehas been provided to your agency / organization:
  • Over 70 streets and roads throughout San Mateo County remain closed due to flooding and downed trees and power lines. US Highway 101 is impassable in numerous locations.
  • CNN broadcasts a video posted by a county resident showing a construction trailer floating down a road somewhere in San Mateo County.
  • Flood water has stranded many county residents in their homes and local responders have begun carrying out water rescue operations.
  • Local agencies responsible for sheltering, including the American Red Cross, have opened evacuation shelters across the region.
  • Initial reports have indicated that 3 people in San Mateo County and 1 person in Santa Clara County have lost their life due to the storm.

Time Allotted / 10Minutes
Operation Cohesive Capability – Stop Point / No Image
Controller Note: Conduct an open discussion among all exercise participants regarding agency actions that would be taken up to this point.
Operation Cohesive Capability – Scenario – # 004 / Image of Hospital Evacuation
Day 2 / Sunday Morning / November 3
The following Common Operation Picture has been provided to your agency / organization:
  • Overnight the death toll has risen to:
  • San Mateo County – 12
  • Santa Clara County – 10
  • Peninsula Medical Center, in the City of Burlingame, has sustained extensive wind and flood damage as a result of the storm and is in need of help to relocate patients to another hospital.
  • 75% of the county is without electrical power.
There are downed trees and power lines throughout the county.
Major washouts have ruptured numerous water and sewage mains.
Water pressure has been dropping due to the number of broken water mains.
Fire departments are concerned that loss of water pressure will jeopardize their firefighting capabilities.
Electric, gas, water and sewage utility providers have stated that they do not have enough field crews to repair all of the damage.
Flood waters and large amounts of debris continue to clog drainage canal intakes.
A possible crude oil spill into a major drinking water source is reported.
A growing number of consumer complaints regarding cloudy drinking waterwith a bad taste and smell have been received by local water utilities.
Utility representatives state that the amount of time required for completing damage assessment and repair is unknown at this point.
Government officials and the media are clamoring for information and situation updates.
The Ab Sciex facility, a major employer in Redwood City, is currently closed and it is unknown when the facility will return to normal operations.
Time Allotted / 15Minutes
Operation Cohesive Capability – Scenario – # 005 / Image of Water Rescue
Day 2 / Sunday Afternoon / November 3
The following Common Operation Picture has been provided to your agency / organization:
  • 22 people have been reported missing by concerned family members in San Mateo County.
  • There is extensive flooding and wind damage throughout the Bay Area.
  • The Governor has taken a helicopter tour of the region and states that it is worse than he expected.
  • The American Red Crosshas set up additional evacuation shelters which are filled to capacity.
  • More than 400 water rescues have taken place in San Mateo County and there is a shortage of available boats and personnel to maintain the current pace of activity.
  • Redwood City has declared a local State of Emergency and issued a dusk to dawn curfew.
  • Rising floodwaters in the City of Burlingame prevent residents from evacuating and those who can safely leave are refusing to leave without their pets.
  • More than 150 streets and roads are closed and flights have been severely disrupted at all Bay Area airports.
  • More than 336,000 homes are without power in San Mateo County.

Time Allotted / 10Minutes
Operation Cohesive Capability – Scenario – # 006 / Image of Broken Sewage Main
Day 2 / Sunday Evening / November 3
The following Common Operation Picture has been provided to your agency / organization:
  • Sewage utility providers throughout the county face numerous challenges:
  • Washoutsand downed trees have ruptured collection and transmission lines.
  • Flooding has knocked out more than 50% of area lift stations and many backup pumps have failed.
  • The loss of electricity has shut down additional lift stations causing sewage overflows and extensive sewer discharge into local streets and roads.
  • Raw sewage in the streets may cause cross-contamination due to broken water mains.
  • Local industry spokespersons ask sewage utility providers to speed up repairs so they can continue normal discharges of industrial effluent and remain operational.
Based on current conditions and existing plans and procedures review and thoroughly discuss the following issues. Be prepared to present your findings when called upon.
  • Agency / Organization Priorities
  • What are your priorities at this point in time?
  • Multi-Agency Coordination System (MAC)
  • What does your MAC look like?
  • Who is included?
  • How is it facilitated?
  • Resources
  • What resources do you need?
  • Where will you get them?
  • How will that process take place?
  • At what point during your response to the flood will your resources be fully committed or overcommitted?
  • Communications
  • How will you share information within your own agency / organization,with other agencies / organizations and with the general public?
  • With whom are you communicating?
  • How will this take place?
  • What public messages have been issued to this point? With whom are they being coordinated and/or disseminated?
  • In light of the power and phone outages, how will the public be notified?
  • Coordination
  • What type of coordination is taking place at this at this point?
  • With whom are you coordinating?
  • Pets
  • How will pets be handled?
  • Who can help with this?
  • Are their plans already in place?
  • Mutual Aid
  • What options are available to you to get outside help?
  • How will outside assistance be managed within your organization?
  • How will outside assistance be managed in the field?
  • Utilities
  • What are the options in the absence of electrical power?
  • Who makes the decision about what to do with raw sewage?
  • What are the proper procedures for getting approval to dump raw sewage?
  • Who must be notified in the event of a direct discharge from a wastewater treatment plant?

Time Allotted / 30Minutes
Operation Cohesive Capability – Stop Point / No Image
Controller Note: Conduct an open discussion among all exercise participants regarding agency actions that would be taken up to this point.
Operation Cohesive Capability – Scenario – # 007 / Image ofRecovery
Day 7 / Friday / November 8
The following Common Operation Picture has been provided to your agency / organization:
  • Nearly 2,000 people remain in shelters across the region with an additional 30,000 people without electrical power.
  • Numerous flood damage cars remain abandoned littering local streets and roads.
  • Local business owners and managers are expressing concern regarding the impact of the flood on their business.
  • The region’s death toll has risen to 35 individuals with many still missing.
  • President Obama issues a Presidential Disaster Declaration for both Public and Individuals Assistance for San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.
  • Preliminary damage estimates indicate that damage will be in the hundreds of millions.
  • San Mateo County is overwhelmed with donations and volunteers.
  • Travel around the region remains difficult with many streets and roads still impassable and BART completely out of service.
Based on current conditions and existing plans and procedures review and thoroughly discuss the following issues. Be prepared to present your findings when called upon.
  • Agency / Organization Priorities
  • What are your priorities at this point in time?
  • Multi-Agency Coordination System (MAC)
  • What does your MAC look like?
  • Who is included?
  • How is it facilitated?
  • Resources
  • What resources do you need?
  • Where will you get them?
  • How will that process take place?
  • At what point during your response to the flood will your resources be fully committed or overcommitted?
  • Communications
  • What is your capability for information sharing within your own agency / organization,with other agencies / organizations and with the general public?
  • With whom are you communicating and how is it taking place?
  • What are your public messages at this point? With whom are they being coordinated and / or disseminated?
  • Coordination
  • What type of coordination is taking place at this at this point?
  • With whom are you coordinating?
  • Demobilization
  • When will you begin planning for demobilization?
  • How will demobilization be implemented?
  • Recovery
  • What does your recovery plan look like?
  • Who is in charge?
  • Who is included?

Time Allotted / 30Minutes

Situation Manual – Tabletop Exercise 1 Disaster Resistant Communities Group –