Naval Station Mayport readies for hurricane preparedness exercises

Ships heading out to sea are a pretty common sight at Naval Station Mayport.

Throughout the year, sailors train out at sea and on base to prepare for different emergency situations, and next week, they’ll be preparing to deal with hurricanes during their annual hurricane exercise.

Leaders at Naval Station Mayport say military families need to start making a plan now for the next hurricane that comes our way.

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"You have to train like you fight have to be ready. You have to have a plan and that was proven last year with Hurricane Matthew," said Personnel Support Detachment Director Al Iannacone.

Iannacone said while many sailors and their families were here last year during Hurricane Matthew and now have a plan, there are new sailors who have never lived where hurricanes hit.

"On the other hand, about 1/3 of the Navy comes and goes every year, so there are people here now that weren't here last year," Iannacone said.

And this drill will help them.

The Fleet and Family Support Center will also be available for families to ask questions and create their own plan.

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"Our biggest concern is making sure the families know where they'd go, what they would take with them," said Amie McKague, director of the Fleet and Family Support Center.
 
Emergency Manager Steve Millican said they're also using this exercise to make sure communication with local state and federal partners is smooth.

They want to make sure people can get on and off base properly during an evacuation.

The exercises will run from May 8 to May 19.

Cox Media Group