By Tim Cherry
Staff Writer
Thursday, March 22, 2012

Safety and learning were the focus of Fort Belvoir’s tornado drill March 20.

The Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security said more than 50 tenant and garrison organizations participated in the exercise, which was part of Virginia’s statewide drill.

The annual exercise enables Virginia residents to prepare for the increased chance of tornadoes making landfall between March and August.

Listserv messages were sent, Fort Belvoir’s Facebook page and the installation’s Giant Voice were used to advise employees and residents to practice safety in case of an actual storm.

The Fort Belvoir community took shelter in offices and homes.

“It went pretty well,” said Mario Sumter, DPTMS emergency management specialist. “Even though this was a drill, people still need to prepare and have information about what’s going on in the environment,” he said.

The drill began at 9:45 a.m., when the Fort Belvoir weather station issued a tornado watch to the Installation’s Operation Center.

Chris Kim, Operating Location-Oscar, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Fort Belvoir Weather Operations, said the station would likely issue a tornado watch five to six hours before any real tornado could potentially hit Belvoir.

At this juncture, the community should be aware of tornado indicators such as lightning, strong winds and hail.

If a tornado is imminent, the station would issue a warning 15 minutes before expected landfall.

A warning is the point, whether in real life or during a drill, when the community should seek shelter.

Storm cellars and basements provide the best protection, but, if underground shelter is not available, a windowless interior room, closet or hallway provides the next best alternative.

If someone is in a car, trailer or mobile home during a tornado warning, Sumter recommends they leave their vehicle and search for shelter in a nearby building, culvert or ditch.

During the drill, garrison headquarters employees sought shelter in the bottom floor of Abbott Hall and received information from DPTMS officials about tornado safety.

“There’s always a learning process to this,” said Dana Winslett, Installation Operations Center watch officer.

Winslett said the drill allows the IOC and other organizations the chance to acclimate new personnel to the garrison’s emergency procedures.

“We continue to try and streamline our process to make it more effective,” Winslett said.

The IOC acts as a conduit between external organizations and the garrison during emergencies.

An officer works in the office 24/7, and prioritizes responses and support efforts around post.

“We’re the eyes and ears for the garrison commander,” said Lonnie Stancil, IOC lead watch officer.

Tornadoes, widely regarded as nature's most violent storm, are rotating, funnel-shaped clouds formed from thunderstorms. Winds can reach 300 mph and leave a wide damage path.

According to the Ready Army's website, tornadoes occur most often at the end of a thunderstorm, with 80 percent occurring between noon and midnight.

Last year, 51 tornadoes hit Virginia, the second highest number on record. In April, seven touched down on a single day and Virginia Department of Emergency Management officials said the storm killed five people and destroyed 10 homes.

The statewide drill, sponsored by VDEM, encourages awareness and safety for all Virginians during the time of year that tornadoes occur most.

Don Carr, Fort Belvoir director of public affairs, emphasized that preparation for any natural emergency is key.

Carr said people should have a supply of food set aside for emergency situations only, and recommends people take part in emergency exercises to practice before an actual crisis.

Natural emergencies can happen at any time and Carr said the community should have plans for how to react to scenarios where a family is together during an emergency or separated due to school or work.

Carr advises people to not panic and try to connect with separated loved ones during an emergency but rather have faith in the organizations that are supposed to safeguard those loved ones.

“Have faith in that school or office administrator,” Carr said.

Sumter said the installation made several improvements from last year’s drill, such as the ability to alert the community with various electronic and phone tools.

For instance, the public affairs office used social media, email and Belvoir’s emergency hotline during the drill.

One feedback item PAO and DPTMS received involved the emergency alert language.

The word ‘exercise’ was used to start the drill announcement. However, several people in the community still weren’t sure if the tornado was real or not. Carr and Sumter said next year the key word will be ‘test.’

Another point of confusion came from community members situated indoors who couldn’t clearly hear the alert command from the Giant Voice.

The Giant Voice system is intended for people who are outdoors. It can be heard indoors but it shouldn't be expected to be heard clearly indoors.

Sumter said the garrison will use this information to run the test better next year.

Visit www.acsim.army.mil/readyarmy/Tornado_Fact_Sheet.pdf for an overview of the Army's guidelines for tornado preparation.

To be added to the Fort Belvoir Listserv and receive update messages, go to the Fort Belvoir homepage at www.belvoir.army.mil, click on “Belvoir Listserv” and follow the instructions.