Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Delaney Jensen | NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUDA BAY, Greece (May 16, 2023) Naval Support Activity (NSA)...... read more read more
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUDA BAY, Greece (May 16, 2023) “Exercise, Exercise, Exercise. Attention Team Souda, a major earthquake has occurred. Please be prepared for aftershocks.” Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay Fire & Emergency Services participated in a simulated earthquake emergency response drill titled “Reliant Rumble” held on the installation May 16, 2023. Earthquake drills like Reliant Rumble are beneficial to members of NSA Souda Bay because Crete, Greece, is known to frequently experience earthquakes.
The training during the Installation Training Team (ITT) drill consisted of multiple simulated scenarios including evacuating a collapsed building, removing injured personnel from under debris and a crashed vehicle, mustering all personnel and their dependents on island and helping team members with urgent needs off base safely reach the installation.
“I believe ITT drills for emergency responses to natural disasters are essential to the installation as a whole in order to build an operational mindset in support of every member of NSA Souda Bay,” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class Victor Garcia. “We had a great training today. Every training team member, role player and blue force were enthusiastic and professional. It is exciting to see the teams come together and conquer one goal and one mission.”
This training exercise was unique because it was focused on assessing the NSA Souda Bay Fire & Emergency Service’s ability to respond in a timely and efficient manner to earthquake-related emergencies.
“It was awesome to showcase NSA Souda Bay Fire & Emergency Service’s capabilities for the installation,” said Assistant Chief Logan Rodgers, NSA Souda Bay Fire & Emergency Services. “We train for this type of high risk, low frequency event often and to execute a seamless, multi-faceted drill illustrates to the crews why we train as hard as we do. As an ITT, we hope to continually add thought and imagination to our drills. We want our responders to think outside the box and challenge themselves to utilize their skill sets.”
In addition to installation-wide drills, a basic disaster supply kit is a great way to start making sure you and your family are prepared for a natural disaster such as an earthquake. According to //www.ready.gov/kit, the most important items to have at your disposal are water, non-perishable food items, a battery powered radio, flashlight, first aid kit, extra batteries, whistle, duct tape, plastic sheets, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties, a manual can opener, local maps and cell phones with chargers.
Necessary items may vary from household to household based on the family members they hold and their individual needs -- whether that be infants, children, medically at-risk individuals, senior citizens or pets. For instance, prescription medicine, infant formula, diapers, pet food and feminine hygiene item needs vary from household to household, but can be necessary in the case of an emergency.
Something else to consider is having a plan. Educating every member on the correct way to react during an earthquake is important, especially for children. Practice the proper, up-to-date techniques and teach them the phrase ‘drop, cover and hold on’ to jog their memory.
Essentially, in the event of an earthquake, drop immediately onto your hands and knees. This protects you from being knocked down and reduces the risk of being hit by falling debris. Next, cover your head and neck with your hands. If there is a sturdy piece of furniture nearby, crawl underneath for shelter. If not, go to an interior wall. Exterior walls are more likely to collapse and usually have windows with glass that may break and create an additional hazard. Stay on your knees and bend over to protect your vital organs. Lastly, hold on until the shaking stops. If under shelter such as a desk, hold on to it with one hand and be ready to move if it shifts. If not under shelter, hold on to your neck and head with both hands. For more information on this method, visit https://www.earthquakecountry.org/dropcoverholdon/. To learn more about preparing for earthquakes, call the Emergency Management team at DSN 266-1281 or Civilian 282-102-1281.
NSA Souda Bay is an operational ashore installation which enables and supports U.S., Allied, Coalition, and Partner nation forces to preserve security and stability in the European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. For more information, visit us at www.cnic.navy.mil/SoudaBay or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NSASoudaBay.
| Date Taken: | 05.16.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.25.2023 04:49 |
| Story ID: | 445509 |
| Location: | GR |
| Web Views: | 96 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NSA Souda Bay Holds an Exercise of Seismic Proportions, by PO1 Delaney Jensen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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