On May 21-23, 2014, the Disaster Response Center partnered with the National Weather Service to provide a NOAA-only tabletop exercise called Tropical Storm Topaz.

This discussion-based exercise was designed as a preparedness effort to get NOAA offices together to demonstrate the measures taken throughout the lifespan of a hurricane in the event one threatened the Gulf of Mexico.
The three day exercise brought 38 participants from the National Ocean Service (NOS), National Weather Service (NWS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Ocean and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Homeland Security Program Office (HSPO), and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS). Each participating office presented their roles, responsibilities, and capabilities to the group.
This exercise fostered awareness and partnerships across NOAA offices as well as helping to establish better communication throughout those offices. Through this effort, NOAA offices now have a better understanding of what measures other offices take before, during, and after a potential hurricane.
Overall, this exercise was very well attended and the participants felt they had a better understanding of how other NOAA offices operate.

For further information, contact Katie.Krushinski@noaa.gov.

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