FEMA announced today that the agency is conducting the 2018 National Level Exercise for the whole community, inviting government agencies, private sector and nonprofit organizations, and individuals to participate in the biennial exercise. The exercise, taking place April 30-May 11, represents a key step towards implementing FEMA’s recently released 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. The National Level Exercise will test lessons learned from the unprecedented 2017 hurricane season across all levels of government and the private sector.
“The National Level Exercise provides an opportunity for those living in vulnerable areas to participate by understanding their risk and taking action to prepare now,” said FEMA Administrator Brock Long. “Resiliency goes beyond just strengthening infrastructure, it is ensuring that citizens, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments have the tools and skill sets necessary to reduce the impact of future disasters.”
The 2018 National Level Exercise tests federal, state, and local governments’ ability to respond to catastrophic incidents; Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and the District of Columbia will join departments and agencies across the federal government for this exercise. The exercise is based on a mid-Atlantic hurricane scenario, where a major hurricane makes landfall near Hampton Roads, Va., causing severe damage to homes and businesses. The scenario will include power outages and cascading effects to critical infrastructure systems, including impacts to communications, transportation, water, wastewater and hospitals.
