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NAVFAC Southeast Prepares Team for 2009 Hurricane Season

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090605-03
Release Date: 6/5/2009 1:38:00 PM

From Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast Public Affairs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast held a three-day training session on board Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Fla., May 27 to prepare its contingency engineering response teams (CERT) for the 2009 hurricane season.

"Our NAVFAC Southeast Areas of Responsibility encompasses approximately eighty percent of the probable 'strike zone' for landfall in the Continental U.S. by a tropical cyclone (hurricane, tropical storm or tropical depression)," said Don Maconi, NAVFAC Southeast contingency response engineer and disaster coordinator.

The 2009 hurricane season training for NAVFAC CERTs includes instruction in post-disaster facility damage assessment and life safety evaluation, safety and operational risk management in a contingency environment, hazardous material (HAZMAT) awareness, CPR and first aid.

NAVFAC CERTs are part of the key tools in recovery, consisting of one or more disaster assessment teams (DATs). DATS are made up of personnel who enable installation recovery efforts, including other agency representatives; in Jacksonville, they're referred to as NAVFAC Patriot Volunteers. The teams consist of active-duty civil engineer corps officers, civilian engineers, architects, public affairs officers, project managers, facilities managers and contract specialists.

NAVFAC Southeast will be first on the ground after a storm in the region to ensure that the DAT can get the assessments required to get the installation back to normal. The sooner shore infrastructure is turned back over to the installation, the sooner Sailors, Navy civilians and their families will be ready to fulfill the Navy's operational and combat readiness mission.

"As Navy engineers, contract specialists and facility managers, we are charged with the responsibility to support installation response efforts and ensure the fastest recovery possible, while allowing those in the storm's path to focus on personal needs," said Maconi.

For more news from Naval Facilities Engineering Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/navfachq/.