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Disaster Preparedness Program Hosts 2020 Hurricane Season Hotwash

DECEMBER 7, 2020 — On November 17, the Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP) convened the National Ocean Service (NOS) Incident Management Team (IMT) for a virtual hotwash about the record setting 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season that included 29 named storms.

Flooded street with tree falling across it.
Damage and flooding from Hurricane Sally on Dauphin Island, Alabama. Image credit: NOAA.

Tropical storms are a threat to NOS staff and families, our normal mission responsibilities, and infrastructure. NOS also supports preparedness, response, and recovery activities to hurricanes as a part of our federal mandates and missions.

During the hotwash, key topics were addressed and highlighted such as capacity, communication, coordination, budget, authorities, and data and information management. The DPP leads this continuous improvement process to ensure NOS and our partners are prepared to provide the best possible response when a disaster strikes. The purpose of the continuous improvement program is to evaluate, learn from, and improve upon the operational management and execution of NOS’s emergency response to natural and human-caused disasters.

Following the hotwash, a survey will be completed by NOS IMT members to collect further information and input on the 2020 hurricane season to help develop an After Action Report and improvement plan. Creating structured after-action reports helps NOS analyze how lessons-learned from response events can be used to improve performance, build capacity, and increase knowledge.

For additional information, please contact Collin.Buckner@noaa.gov.

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Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:45pm PST