CASCADIA RISING: LESSONS LEARNED

The 4-day June 2016 Cascadia Rising exercise simulated a complete rupture of the CSZ generating a magnitude 9.0 earthquake that severely damaged buildings, roads, bridges, power lines, communications and other components of lifeline infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest, followed by a tsunami that devastated the region’s coastline. The integrated Cascadia Rising Exercise tested the government’s ability – at the local, tribal, state and federal levels - to coordinate and respond cooperatively to this catastrophe. More than a dozen state agencies with either a primary, coordinating, or supporting role for an Emergency Support Function in the state’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) participated. Key exercise objectives at the state level included evaluating the whole community’s ability to perform six key core capabilities: Operational Coordination, Operational Communication, Situational Assessment, Mass Care, Public Health and Medical Services, and Critical Transportation. The findings captured in the after-action report helped spur Governor Jay Inslee's Directive 16-19, establishing a Resilient Washington Subcabinet.