ARLINGTON, Va. - Remaining prepared for emergencies and disaster situations "such as hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires " is one of the key focuses of the America's Prepare-a-thon campaign, which urges individuals and communities to take note of possible emergencies that may affect their area and take steps to increase their preparedness level.
A grass roots, national campaign administered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the campaign involves all federal agencies as well as state and local governments.
Just as it's important for individuals to remain prepared for emergencies, the National Guard is continually taking steps to remain prepared to respond to any manner of natural or manmade disaster situations, said Guard officials. As part of that, Guard members from South Carolina, Georgia and other Southern states recently wrapped up Vigilant Guard South Carolina, a large-scale training exercise focusing on working with local first responders in a disaster response situation.
"There is no better place to train than right here where a disaster could strike," said Army Gen. Frank Grass, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, while observing aspects of the training.
Grass said he was impressed with the coordination between first responders and the Guard during the exercise.
"One of the very best (training exercises) I've seen," said Grass. "Our men and women (from the Guard) are learning from the first responders."
The training exercise scenario focused around a Category 4 hurricane that struck the Carolina coast. Responding in the aftermath of a hurricane is nothing new for the Guard, which was an instrumental element in responding to Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and most notably in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
"(For close to 400 years) we've been rolling out of the gates of our armories whenever the governors call," said Grass. "In some cases even before the governors call."
More than 12,000 Guard members responded in the aftermath of Sandy and the response to Katrina saw more than 50,000 Guard members respond from every state, territory and the District of Columbia. The quick response by the Guard to those disasters was in part a result of the Emergency Assistance Compact, which allows National Guard elements from one state to assist others in neighboring states. It's also one part of a comprehensive response to catastrophic emergencies and natural disasters, said Craig Fugate, administrator of FEMA.
"All 50 states, several territories and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are all members of the Emergency Assistance Compact," he said. "EMAC is frequently used by states to send resources, including available National Guard resources, across state lines in support of a disaster response."
The Guard's ability to respond to those situations is also a key element of the Department of Defense's ability to support disaster response operations throughout the nation. Members of the Guard, as well other service members, have an "important role to play in bolstering...preparedness for hazards of all types - from hurricanes to wildfires - to strengthen our collective security and resilience," said Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work in a recent DoD-wide memo.
Organizational and individual preparedness is "synonymous with military readiness," said Robert G. Salesses, deputy assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense integration and defense support of civil authorities, adding that preparedness mainly focuses on natural disasters such as floods, fires, earthquakes and hurricanes.
The Prepare-a-thon also ties into annual, monthlong preparedness campaigns held in April and September.
"It gives folks the opportunity to take a step back and consider hazards they may encounter, and [to] begin to build a plan," Salesses said.