In July 2015, The Zoo Ready planning team took a departure from disease preparedness and response to address a severe weather event. Tornadoes are a real possibility for many zoos and aquariums in the US. The realistic scenario challenged our participants by identifying different buildings on their property that sustained damage. The University of Illinois Global Information System team developed maps for each zoo to add to the exercise realism.
This scenario tested severe weather preparedness, staff communications and methods for weather alerts and updates. Participants were challenged to think about storm shelters to protect visitors and describe what resources might be available in those storm shelters.
The Situation Manual, Exercise Evaluation Guides and the After Action Report for this exercise are available on the exercises page of this website