Post by Logan on Jun 19, 2016 5:58:54 GMT -6
Virgin Islands To Host 2,000 National Guard Soldiers May 2017 For ‘Vigilant Guard Exercise’
ST. CROIX — Local, federal and military officials along with private sector representatives will convene for two days next week to begin the yearlong planning effort for Vigilant Guard, a national-level, full-scale exercise scheduled for May in the Virgin Islands.
The exercise will test the territorial government’s ability to respond to a catastrophic event, looking closely at how officials coordinate the delivery of federal and military assets in support of emergency response operations.
US Northern Command and the National Guard Bureau sponsors the Vigilant Guard program, which is designed to give states and territories the opportunity to improve emergency coordination with their federal and military partners. The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) and the VI National Guard are leading the exercise.
Vigilant Guard 2017 will evaluate the territory’s response to a major earthquake and tsunami. According to the exercise scenario, the U.S. Virgin Islands will experience a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, which will generate a tsunami with waves of up to 20 feet. The tsunami will reach the shores of the US Virgin Islands within 10 minutes. As part of the scenario, the island of St. Thomas will sustain significant damage to its critical infrastructure including the utility, the hospital, and ports, and will lose vital communications capabilities. Thousands of citizens and visitors will be displaced and hundreds more will self-report to the hospital for medical treatment. St. Croix will sustain moderate damages.
Read more: viconsortium.com/news-2/virgin-islands-to-host-2000-national-guard-soldiers-may-2017-for-vigilant-guard-exercise/
ST. CROIX — Local, federal and military officials along with private sector representatives will convene for two days next week to begin the yearlong planning effort for Vigilant Guard, a national-level, full-scale exercise scheduled for May in the Virgin Islands.
The exercise will test the territorial government’s ability to respond to a catastrophic event, looking closely at how officials coordinate the delivery of federal and military assets in support of emergency response operations.
US Northern Command and the National Guard Bureau sponsors the Vigilant Guard program, which is designed to give states and territories the opportunity to improve emergency coordination with their federal and military partners. The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) and the VI National Guard are leading the exercise.
Vigilant Guard 2017 will evaluate the territory’s response to a major earthquake and tsunami. According to the exercise scenario, the U.S. Virgin Islands will experience a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, which will generate a tsunami with waves of up to 20 feet. The tsunami will reach the shores of the US Virgin Islands within 10 minutes. As part of the scenario, the island of St. Thomas will sustain significant damage to its critical infrastructure including the utility, the hospital, and ports, and will lose vital communications capabilities. Thousands of citizens and visitors will be displaced and hundreds more will self-report to the hospital for medical treatment. St. Croix will sustain moderate damages.
Read more: viconsortium.com/news-2/virgin-islands-to-host-2000-national-guard-soldiers-may-2017-for-vigilant-guard-exercise/