1. AZA Flooding Exercise
March 23-24, 2016

2. Purpose
This exercise will enable participants to discuss and evaluate the response capabilities, communication, resources, data, coordination, and organizational elements involved in an emergency response. Participants will have an opportunity to assess their own preparedness for responding to such a scenario and identify individual needs for information and/or training.

3. Facilitated Exercise
Informal group discussion stimulated by a scripted disaster scenario
Low stress, designed to promote free and open exchange of ideas
Identify issues (e.g., data, coordination, communication, resources, and policy)
Familiarize players with roles, functions, plans, and procedures

4. Objectives of the Exercise
Identify the policy issues that would arise during an emergency response.
Identify and understand measures that can be performed at the local level
Recognize the roles of various facility and public officials
Illustrate the need for teamwork and communication with local officials.

5. Objectives of the Exercise
Identify gaps in local preparedness plans, policies and/or procedures
Build relationships with participants from other key agencies
Identify additional training needs in your institution.

6. House Rules This is an exercise only.
What happens in this room stays in this room with the exception of the lessons we learn and the relationships we develop.
Above all, courtesy and professionalism prevail.

7. Various Roles Participants – You
Facilitator – Matt Bryan, Keith Gehrand

8. Participants’ Roles Play your own role in your facility
Identify strengths and areas needing improvement with regard to the response.
Take note of perceived deficiencies to be discussed during the debriefing

9. Expectations
No organization is fully prepared for this type of emergency.
Open and honest dialog and feedback is encouraged throughout the exercise.
Participants should feel free to ask questions of one another and challenge each other’s assumptions.
Facilitator instructions:
Use this slide to alleviate concerns that participants might have about the exercise and to emphasize the need for open and honest dialogue among all participants. These expectations, as well as other instructions to the participants, can and should be modified to meet local needs.

10. The Setting
The area around your facility has been under a flood watch for the last two days. The stream through your facility is rising, and low areas are beginning to having standing water. Facility administration has advised the staff to watch the water level at the facility and report back with any problems.

11. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALERT
NWS has predicted that heavy rains are going to continue in the area. Areas have experienced rain with some locations measuring rain totals in excess of six inches. Your facility is beginning to see an increase of water accumulating in the lower levels. Staff is having growing concerns for the facility.

12. Rain Total Map

13. River Gauge

14. Question ?
What would you and your staff be doing at this time.

15. Question ?
Would you be in contact with any outside agencies, (i.e. local emergency management, local weather, etc.)

16. Question ?
What needs to be done, and by whom?

17. Question ?
Does your facility have communication with the local emergency manager?
Would you get any storm information from the local emergency manager?
Are you a part of the Emergency Operation Center or Local Emergency Planning Committee?

18. The Setting Continues
Heavy rains over the past several days have saturated the ground, leaving waterways in the area at dangerously high levels. The forecast calls for continued rainfall during the next 72 hours. The primary roads used to access the facility are flooded. First responders are beginning to reroute traffic in the area. Forecasts estimate that the rivers and streams in the area could reach historic flood levels.

19. The storm continues
Flooding is becoming a growing concern for your facility. The local emergency managers have been advised of the situation and have asked the emergency service heads to assemble at the local EOC. Staff was notified by zoo administration that the facility is going to be experiencing extensive flooding.

20. Greenville Flooding

21. Question ?
What would you be doing at this time?

22. Question ?
What are your policies/procedures for the flooding?

23. Question ?
Do you have areas in your facility that you would need to watch for flooding?
What special procedures or equipment would you need to be thinking about at this point?

24. Overview of facility area

29. Question ?
What would you be doing at this time?

30. Question ?
Who is responding to your facility?

31. Question ?
What actions should be taken now?

32. Question ?
If you still have patrons in the facility what are your policies/procedures for patrons getting the patrons out of the facility?

33. Question ?
What Incident Command Structure (ICS) would you have in place?

34. Basic ICS Structure

35. Question ? What resources are in place at your facility?
What does your Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) call for?

36. Message
Due to the extreme flooding to the area the sandbagging operations at the power substation have not gone well. The flood waters have overtopped the sandbags and knocked out the power station. All power is out in the area to include the zoo. The utility company does not have any idea how long it will be to restore power to the area.

37. Question ? Do you have an auxiliary power source for your facility?
If so, what exhibits will have power?

38. Question ?
If back-up generators are in place have they been tested other than short period tests not under load?
If your generators are in place, how much fuel is kept on site?
Are the generators in an area that will be out of the flood waters?

39. Question ?
If you don’t have generators, how are you going to power exhibits that power is critical for animals?
Do you have contracts for generators that you will have to obtain for outside sources?
Do you know who to contact for the information?

40. Question ?
What is the daily usage rate for electricity, water, and gas?
What safety issues can you identify?
What safety equipment do you have in place?
What resources can you identify that are needed immediately?

41. Question ? How do you secure the zoo?
What are your procedures for the next 12, 24, 48 hours? Who would handle this for you?
How are you going to interact with outside agencies; fire, police, etc.?
What ICS structure would you have in place under your EOP?

42. THE SCENARIO UNFOLDS

43. Message
As the rain continues to fall, areas around the facility are experiencing major flooding, including the parking lots, garages, and main entrance. There are reports from maintenance staff of water in the lower level of the zoo.

44. Message
Phone lines are down and cell phones are only receiving busy signals. How are going to contact outside agencies for assistance?

45. Question
What command structure is appropriate at this point, e.g., a formal Incident Command System (ICS), informal ICS, other, or no official structure at this point?

46. THE SCENARIO CONTINUES

47. Message
The City Administrator has issued a voluntary evacuation for the area. As a result, many employees and volunteers are asking to return home or are not coming to work at all. Delivery drivers are unable to access your facility and you are not receiving critical shipments.

48. Question
How do you handle the need for additional resources?

49. Questions
How does your EOP answer the questions for the additional need for resources?
Does this change the structure of your initial incident command structure?

50. Question ?
What polices/procedures are in place to determine who does and does not remain on duty
With the amount of flooding although you are closing the zoo, the facility has sustained a lot of damage and emergency staffing will not be adequate. What do you do now?

51. Messages
Floodwaters reach the facility and cause significant damage. It continues to rain, although the rain is expected to taper off throughout the day. Large portions of the zoo are still without power. Roadways remain flooded and impassable. Police officers have established a perimeter around heavily damaged areas, including your zoo, and are not allowing anyone to enter for safety reasons.

52. Question ?
Which agencies should be involved?

53. Communication Who needs to be communicating with whom (and why) ?
How will you accomplish this communication?

54. THE SCENARIO CONTINUES TO UNFOLDS Day 2

55. Message
Water retentions areas within the facility have overflowed and continuing to flood the surrounding areas. The stream that runs through the facility is well over its banks and flooding the facility.

56. Question ?
How long can you maintain food and water supply for animals? For staff?
If you don’t have enough, where can you get additional resources? How will you get it to the facility?
Who outside of your facility would you be in contact with now? How will you communicate with them?

57. Question ?
What agreements do you have for staffing from other facilities to assist you?
How are you going to get any available staffing to your facility?

58. Messages
Several areas in the animal habitat area have standing water. At this point no animals are in danger. Facility management has been advised that power may be out for several days. Staff members have been at the facility for the last 48 hours. They have advised that supplies for the animals, and staff, are getting low. Several employees advise that they had brought personal medications for two days and they need additional medicine.

63. Question ?
Who is in charge of the situation?

64. Question ? What would your role be now at the facility?
What ICS positions would be most important at this point of the incident?

65. Question ?
With whom would your facility be communicating?

66. Question ?
Within your own facility, with whom would you communicate first? Why? Others and why?

67. Question ? What is your facility’s strategic objectives at this point?
After this slide, turn things over to John Dunn

68. Question
Would your facility be talking to the media?

69. THE SCENARIO UNFOLDS Day 3

70. Message
Floodwaters are beginning to recede from much of the zoo. Several major roadways are open, including those that access your facility. Residents have begun to return home and police have lifted restrictions on travel in damaged areas. Some areas in the community still do not have power. You are able to access your facility and inspect the damage.

71. Message
There is significant flood damage to the lowest level and much of your IT infrastructure is not functioning. Based on the inspection, it is determined that your facility will not be operational for at least 3 weeks.

72. Messages
Radio stations in the area have broadcast that people in the area need help. This has caused a large amount of people “self dispatching” to the area. A large amount of people are beginning to show up at the zoo. Zoo staff is asking for guidance on how to handle them.

73. Miami Flooding

74. Question ?
How are you going to handle “spontaneous” responders wanting help you at the facility?
What procedures are in place to reopen?
What inspections have to be completed?

75. Question ?
What are your facility’s urgent priorities now?

77. Question ?
With whom would you be communicating outside your facility to get help? Why?
Do you have agreements in place with other zoos to exchange employees if needed?

78. THE DEBRIEFING

79. Debriefing
What gaps did you identify in plans, policies, and procedures
What useful information did you identify?
What type of resources would help in a effective response?
Complete evaluation forms

80. From all of us, Thank you for your time!